April Showers Bring May Flowers
by Honey Bee33
Summary: COMPLETE! Sequel to FINDING HAPPINESS: InuYasha returns to Tokyo after a year of being away in America, and finds everything to be pretty different Kagome and Sesshie are married, and Sango is a movie star! Still trying to get over Kagome, he meets an odd
1. Running Out Of Money

Chapter 1 Running Out Of Money  
  
Yay, the sequel! But - I strongly reccommend you read FINDING HAPPINESS before you read April Showers. Enjoy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"'I won't be ignored.'"  
  
A line from Linkin Park's "Faint." That's one kick-ass song. I wish I could've had that attitude when it came to Kagome. I wish I could've just been persistent, forceful. I wish I could've been braver and spoken my exact feelings. . . I would get so tongue-tied around her, though; my promises of my undying love for her always came out sounding cliched, corny, and weak. . . I wish I could've been more like Sesshoumaru. So sure of himself, so articulate. Regal. Everything I'll never be.  
  
I guess, in some ways, I'm just a screw up. I tend to screw up everything. Why do I do this? No idea. It's just my curse, I guess.  
  
Like college. I took Mom's advice, and went to study English in America. New York City, New York, to be exact. After all the shit with Kagome. . . Anyway, things went pretty well there. My professor was great; I really liked him. I was doing so well in his class; English was starting to become easy. I was starting to write like a maniac. I stayed for a year; got a few articles published in the newspaper. . . I threw myself into my writing. But at night, every night, I discovered how lonely I still felt, and then I would just think of Kagome, which would just depress me. Pretty soon, I wasn't thinking straight again, or something, and I came back to Tokyo. And things were going so well in America. . . but like I said, I'm just a bonafide screw-up. I had to go and ruin it all.  
  
I suppose I could've gone back sometime in the future; but Tokyo was calling me. So I answered. I went back home, having no idea why I was there or how I was going to make a living. All that money dad left me went into college; I had just enough to come back home, plus some from a job I'd had. There was a little left. It may have held out for about another month.  
  
So I now had a month to get a job. What the hell was I gonna do? A college drop-out, who was too damn messed up to finish out and get his degree. No newspaper would hire me as a reporter or writer. So I started work on a book, and hoped that Kaede might take me back at the basket shop as a delivery boy.  
  
After I finished high school, being on my own seemed like it was gonna be so great. I romanticized it terribly; living a simple life with a simple job, content and comfortable. . . You change your mind after the only woman you've ever felt real, true love for leaves you for your rich half-brother. A little light goes on in your head, and you begin to realize it's time you started to make real money so you could have a little something to offer your significant other. I didn't have anything to offer Kagome but my. . . heart / undying love / me. (Damn. See how corny I get?) Anyway, regardless of the fact that I was now working on a novel, I needed something to do in the meantime. I considered Kaede's basket shop again. . . and then I figured Miroku was probably still working there, and that would just lead to more questions about Kagome. Not that I never wanted to see Miroku; it's just the fact that there was a chance I might see her again, and I'm a wimp. I was so afraid of seeing Kagome again; I was scared that I would never be able to get over her.  
  
That's what just seeing her did to me. She was so beautiful; utterly beautiful. Her lips were always red; her smile a beautiful white; and her eyes. . . her eyes were a deep, sweet brown. Like chocolate. And there go the corny remarks again.  
  
In other words, Kagome was so sweet; she was fiery and spontaneous. Sweet, adorable. . . my heart was aching, and I was hating myself for being such a romantic. I always put on such a tough exterior, like no one or nothing can get to me; but when it came to Kagome, she broke through my stupid facade every time, and read my emotions like a book. I wasn't too comfortable with that. . . but I was glad she at least knew how I felt without my having to say anything.  
  
When I got back to Tokyo, I knew I was going to run into someone I knew. If I didn't, then I would start to think I hadn't come back to the right place. My hunch was verified when I ran into Sango in a coffee shop (where I happened to be job-hunting). She gave me a smile that made me forget my stupid problems for a little while. It seems like friends are always able to do that.  
  
Sango had been coming as I was going, a body guard accompanying her. I'd forgotten that she was so famous, now. That movie had been a big hit. . . Kagome's big hit. . . gods, was everything linked to Kagome, or what? Anyway, she had spotted me and squealed, removing her sunglasses because it had taken me a while to figure out who she was. She had run over to me to hug me, and people stared, so she suggested we go for a drive.  
  
While we sat in the nice, white, expensive car, we had a chance to catch up.  
  
"So how have you been?" she asked with excitement. "What was America like?"  
  
"America was. . . it was nice. Busy, you know. But really no different from Tokyo." I shrugged.  
  
"What about college? How did that go?"  
  
I looked down with guilt. "I, uh. . . I dropped out."  
  
Her face fell. "Why? Was it that bad?"  
  
"No, it was really great. . . It was a personal thing. I just felt like coming home, I guess."  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna go back?"  
  
"Yeah. Someday."  
  
"So you're writing now, right? Got a job?"  
  
I smirked. "Actually, that's what I was at the coffee shop for; I was job- hunting."  
  
Her eyebrows raised, and she smiled. "Oh! Well, good luck!"  
  
I just scoffed. "So what's stardom like?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "It's nothing special. Can't go anywhere by myself anymore, I barely see Miroku."  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Good. (The last time I heard)." she joked.  
  
I smiled. The next question was apparent; I just didn't want to ask it. She saved me from having to say anything. "Kagome and Sesshoumaru got married last fall."  
  
I looked away, out the tinted window. "Yeah. . . how are they, anyway?" I asked, though I was trying not to care.  
  
"Good."  
  
I could tell she was trying to be optimistic about it; I couldn't expect her to take my side. She was Kagome's friend, too. I also knew she could see it. She could see that I wasn't over Kagome yet, even though she didn't say anything. I looked over at her, and she was biting her lip guiltily. "Hey."  
  
"I'm sorry, Inu - "  
  
"It's okay."  
  
"So you're. . . you're still not over her yet, huh?"  
  
I just looked away. It was even scarier admitting it out loud. She shook her head. "I can't believe it. It's been a whole year."  
  
"Hey," I shrugged, trying to keep a light mood and failing. "I can't help it."  
  
She nodded vaguely. "Well," she said suddenly, changing the mood, "do you want to come see the apartment? We're so proud of it." she added, smiling. "And we got a puppy!"  
  
I smirked. "Sure."  
  
And damn, that hadn't been any small apartment. Try Penthouse on the forty- fifth floor. Nice. For them and their puppy. 'Sango must be one hell of an actress,' I had thought to myself when I saw the place. I hadn't seen the movie yet, but I made a mental note to. And I wanted to see it for Sango's acting. Not because Kagome wrote the whole story. Yeah.  
  
Later, I went back to my old apartment. It was still vacant, because I had made sure it would be. Yeah, I paid bills for a place I wasn't living in. So sue me, I wanted my old apartment to still be there for me when I came back.  
  
I walked in and flicked the lights on. The place lit up; white walls,  
plain, and half-empty. Which reminded me; I needed groceries. I needed money for groceries. I needed a job for  
money for groceries. Damn it. I had decided to go out to a diner that night. I had enough money for a burger, and I was damn hungry.  
  
It was a smaller place who's name I didn't really know (or care to know for that matter), but I liked it. Of course, anything's good when you're starving. I left after about forty minutes from arriving, full, but still emotionally unsatisfied. What Sango had mentioned about Kagome and Sesshoumaru was still bothering me, now that I was alone again.  
  
So they were now happily married. Well, yay for them. I was trying not to care. Inside, what I really wanted to do was go see Kagome. Just go see how she was really doing. Was she really so happy? "Probably," I muttered to myself on the sidewalk. Luckily no one heard me. Anyway, as I kept wandering, my mind did so with me. 'I wonder how she would react if I showed up on her doorstep. Man, would *that* be awkward. I'm too obsessed with her. I need a hobby. . .'  
  
Something caught my eye in a shop window. It was a typewriter, an older one, but in very good condition, priced at eighty dollars. 'Holy crap. Wish I could afford that right now. A typewriter would be perfect.' Computers were costing way too much for my finances at the moment, and my hand was starting to get the cramps from hell. 'Why not? It doesn't take too long to scrape up eighty bucks.' I went inside and asked the owner if he could hold it for one month.  
  
When he said he could, I actually felt excited. A little, anyway. I hadn't been feeling much of anything lately, so it had been a big deal for me. I left the shop feeling a little better, and when I got home, I finally realized how tired I was. I crashed on the couch, and right as I was beginning to fall asleep, the damn phone rang.  
  
"Hello?" I grumbled, my head spinning a little from getting up too fast.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
It was Miroku. "Hey, man," I replied, my voice light.  
  
"You home?"  
  
"I answered the phone didn't I?" I growled.  
  
He laughed with delight. "How are you? Sango said she ran into you today, and I had to give you a call."  
  
"I'm. . . as well as I can be. I hear you guys are good. Sango showed me the apartment."  
  
"Yeah, it's a hell of a place. How did you get your old place back?"  
  
"I, uh, paid the rent while I was gone. . . "  
  
"Really."  
  
"Yeah. . ."  
  
"How was America?"  
  
"Pretty cool. Where you working now?"  
  
"I'm not. Sango brought in enough money for us to live off of for about another two years. And people are really trying to get her attention for parts in all kinds of movies. I don't really need a job. I've been doing community work, and I've started college."  
  
"How's that been?"  
  
"Really great, actually. Sango told me you dropped out."  
  
"I did. It just wasn't workin' out, you know. . . I mean, I really learned a lot, and I was getting really good at English - "  
  
"Really? After only a year?"  
  
'Well, my mom had already taught me some when I was in high school. Learning it wasn't so complicated."  
  
"Oh. . . did you write at all?"  
  
"I wrote like crazy."  
  
"Dude, you should go back."  
  
"I know. I will. Someday."  
  
"Why did you come back here?"  
  
"I dunno, man. Felt like comin' home, I guess."  
  
"That's an odd reason to drop out of college."  
  
"All right, all right, I get the point already. I'll go back. I just need to be here now. Oh, hey - do you know if Kaede's hiring?"  
  
"She was when I left. Go see."  
  
"Thanks." I could hear Miroku's doorbell ring in the background, and then some barking and growling.  
  
"Hold on," he muttered into the phone. I could hear a "clunk" as he set the phone down, and then voices and a happy yipping from the dog. "Hey, I have InuYasha on the phone," I could hear him saying faintly, "wanna talk to him?"  
  
Oh, god, who was there?  
  
"Hey," he said when the receiver was back at his ear, "Kagome's here. Wanna talk to her?"  
  
My eyes went wide, and I froze. 'Think of something! Quick!'  
  
"Uh, actually," I said, "I've gotta go. . . uh, grocery shopping," I said lamely.  
  
"This late?"  
  
"Yeah. . . I'm really on empty. Heh."  
  
"Oh. All right. Wanna go for lunch tomorrow?"  
  
"Sure. See ya."  
  
"Hey."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"I'm glad you're back, man."  
  
I sighed. "Thanks."  
  
"Bye."  
  
"Later."  
  
Where in hell had he gotten the idea that I wanted to talk to Kagome? Yeah, that's just what I would need right now. I sighed and crashed back on the couch, throwing an arm over my eyes. He thought everything was fine, now. Sango hadn't told him.  
  
My heart was thumping in my ears from the near-contact with Kagome, and I looked over to my old T.V. And when I say old, I don't mean old because I have a newer one somewhere. I mean OLD, like '83, at least. It's all boxy and ugly. But, man, it's my best friend when I'm like this. Just turn some old movie on, or some 'toons, and I forget about what going on in the real world for a while.  
  
I found the remote sitting on the coffee table, ready and waiting for me, and I turned the T.V. on to see. . . Sango in a preview of her movie on some talk show rerun. That was a little weird, so I turned the channel, and found some old black-and-white.  
  
"You're in love with him, aren't you?" a man was asking a woman. The woman's eyes filled with tears, and she looked at him with guilt.  
  
"No. . . it's only you. It's always been you." she said, her voice shaking.  
  
"I don't believe you. You're in love with him, and you've been in love with him for a long time, now. Why don't you just admit it?" He grabbed her by her shoulders and shook her. "Admit it! You love him!"  
  
The woman began to cry. "No. . . yes. . . Yes, I do love him!"  
  
The man stopped shaking her and looked down at her with a dramatic look of hurt in his eyes. "So. . . you admit it. Then leave. Leave, go to *him*!" He let go of the woman and turned his back to her.  
  
"But, Robert -"  
  
"I said go!"  
  
I turned the channel. What was up with messy love triangles these days? There was an anime on the next channel. On the channel after that there was the weather. I turned the T.V. off, giving up.  
  
So the T.V. didn't want to be my best friend tonight. It was probably mad at me for leaving it for so long.  
  
Rolling over on my stomach, I tried sleep. Which was foolish, because I knew I wouldn't be able to. I thought about working on my novel, but remembered that my hand was aching like hell lately, and decided to wait on that.  
  
"What does one do when there is nothing *to* do?" I asked myself.  
  
That annoying little voice inside of my head answered. '. . .that's a good question. Guess you should get a job.'  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
So. . . PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!!!!!!! I get so nervous when I post fics for the 1st time! If I get reviews, I know peeps are reading it! Help me out! Hope you guys like it so far!  
  
Honey Bee 


	2. Running Into Problems

Chapter 2 Running Into Problems  
  


* * *

  
After I ate lunch with Miroku the next day, I went to Kaede's shop. When I walked in, there were two or three customers walking around, and Kaede herself sat at the cash register.  
  
"InuYasha." she said when she saw me. I couldn't tell if she was happy to see me, or if she was wishing I had never come back.  
  
"Hi." I said, trying to sound nice and cheerful. "It's been a while."  
  
"Mm, it has." she said. "What brings you back here, InuYasha?"  
  
"Well, I. . . was wondering if I could get my old job back."  
  
She considered for a moment. "Eh, why not? No slacking off this time?"  
  
I smirked. "No slacking off."  
  
"You swear?"  
  
"I swear," I said, bowing a little.  
  
Relieved to be starting back (on a lower salary, but, hey, beggars can't be choosers), I got my uniform that afternoon, and started work the next day.  
  
Some guy named Hetan had taken Miroku's place. He and I may have been complete strangers, but we were clearly on the same page; I didn't like him, and he didn't like me. We kept our distance.  
  
Kouga was actually still working there, to my surprise. We got along better this time around; I had always had a feeling that we could be buds, Kagome had just come between us before. He asked me to get a drink with him (funny how you always have money for beer), and I decided to meet him.  
  
When we were at the bar later, I got curious. "So, Kouga, what are you still doing delivering for Kaede?"  
  
"Savin' up," he replied. "I want to go to college."  
  
I gave an ironic scoff.  
  
"What's so bad about that?" he asked, amused.  
  
"It's just that I - well, that's where I've been for the past year. I went to study English in America. . . But I dropped out."  
  
"Bad grades?"  
  
"No, very good grades, actually," I said, staring down at my mug. "I wanted to come back home, for some reason. I missed everyone here. Got a little lonely, I guess."  
  
Kouga nodded sympathetically.  
  
"What's up with that Hetan guy, anyway?" I asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Oh, Hetan? He started a while back. Doesn't talk to people much, and he flirts with the girls. I have to keep him away from them, they're too damn good for him."  
  
"I didn't like him. . ." I said thoughtfully. "There's something weird about him."  
  
"You noticed it, too?"  
  
"Yeah. He's weird, crazy-like, ya know?"  
  
Kouga's eyebrows drew together thoughtfully. "You never know."  
  
I shrugged and took a gulp of my beer. By the time I finished it off, it was getting late, and I was hungry. I said good bye to Kouga and left the bar, and decided to go back to the diner I'd eaten at the night before.  
  
I walked in and sat down in the corner, where I proceeded to tap my fingers until a waitress came over. It was late, and myself and two other people were the only customers there. I waited. . . and waited. . . I knew they knew I was there. They had a bell that jingled on the door every time a customer walked in, so what was the problem?  
  
I was about to ask for someone, when a blonde waitress finally appeared. She looked disheveled, but was pretty; noticeably so, and American. Green eyes gazed at me apologetically. "I'm sorry, sir! It's my first day! My name is April, what can I get for you tonight?"  
  
She had said it all very rapidly, and she had an obvious American accent. Her blonde hair was pinned up loosely, and a strand was hanging in her face. She blew it aside and stood ready with her notepad. I ordered a burger (that's it - it was all I could afford) and water.  
  
She gave me a smile and turned quickly to put my order in. I wondered faintly what could be keeping her so busy. There was hardly anyone in the diner. Perhaps she had to help cook, as well.  
  
A radio played softly from behind the counter, an old American song I recognized faintly.  
  
The waitress came back shortly with my food, and I could've hugged her I was so hungry. I took a large bite as the song on the radio ended, and when I was halfway through a drink of water, there was a startling squeal. I nearly choked, and, coughing, I looked over to see what the hell was going on.  
  
"Turn it up!" the waitress exclaimed to a bored cook behind the counter. He looked up at her with surprise, then smiled and went over to adjust the volume of the radio. An old Elton John song was playing, and I looked on, wiping my mouth on my sleeve as the waitress actually started *dancing*. I just stared not really believing it. What the hell was she doing?  
  
She started to sing along with Elton, and took the pins out of her hair so it all tumbled down, fair and long (it reached her hips), with large curls at the bottom. She continued to dance as she wiped the tables down.  
  
"'I remember when rock was young, Me and Suzie had so much fun, Holding hands and skimming stones, Had an old gold Chevy and a place of my own -'"  
  
I looked around. The others in the bar were just ignoring her. What the hell?  
  
"'But the biggest kick I ever got, Was doin' a thing called the Crocodile Rock, While the other kids were rocking' round the clock, We were hoppin' and boppin' to the Crocodile Rock -'"  
  
I gave up and tried to resume eating. As I took another bite of the hamburger, my eyes drifted back up to the waitress. I found myself watching her hips as she moved around busily to the music, and shook my head when I caught myself.  
  
"'Well, Crocodile Rockin' is somethin' shockin' when your feet just can't keep still, I never knew me a better time, and I guess I never will, Oh, lawdy mama, those Friday nights - when Suzie wore her dresses tight, And Crocodile Rockin' was out of sight.  
  
La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la. . . '"  
  
-- Crocodile Rock by Elton John  
  
Well, attractive or not, I thought that waitress was damn crazy.  
  
I finished my burger and got the hell out of there.  
  


* * *

  
The next morning I woke up three hours before work.  
  
Well, sort of woke up. Who said I slept? I would just kind of lay there all night with my eyes shut, until I finally slipped off a little and had weird dreams that I couldn't remember when I opened my eyes.  
  
My body was sore; it felt like I'd slept on the floor, or something. I was starting to wish that I could get some real sleep. REAL sleep. Sleep where I could wake up feeling normal and refreshed, not like I've got to drag myself around everywhere.  
  
I took a shower and changed into my uniform, and went reflexively to the fridge. There was nothing in there. Oh, yeah. I needed groceries. I sighed and shut the door, then left the apartment to search around downtown for any cheap places I could eat breakfast.  
  
No such luck. Every damn restaurant there was costly; so it was back to the diner.  
  
When I walked in, the little bell tingled like always. The morning crowd was there; busier than last night, but not quite as busy as lunch time. I found my usual seat in the corner, and spotted the waitress from the night before rushing around, looking busier than she should have for such a weak crowd of customers.  
  
What was with her?  
  
Anyway, I waited patiently; I had another two hours before work, regardless. The waitress finally made her way to my table, and gave a friendly smile.  
  
"It's you! Good morning! What can I get you?"  
  
I ordered a cheap breakfast as nicely as I could at 6:30 in the morning, and she was off again. She came around with my coffee soon, then finally, my food. The poor thing looked like she was the only waitress there. I looked closer and noticed that she *was*. There were no other waitresses in sight. Damn, she did at least four jobs at once. From this early to as late as last night.  
  
I suddenly felt happy about my job; I had gotten off pretty easy compared to her. How did she do all that and still be able to dance around to old Elton John songs as if she didn't have a care in the world?  
  
I finished my food, lost in thought, then left. I heard the waitress yell goodbye to me as I walked out the door.  
  
Again, How did she do it? Her attention had so much range; it could go from one thing to the next and back again. I admired that.  
  
I had an hour still before work. I walked around with my hands in my pockets; the morning was misty, humid, but there was a definite chill for some reason. The sun was still low in the sky, and everything looked weird and gray.  
  
Business men passed me on the sidewalk; straightening their ties, their briefcases in hand, and walking quickly, urgently. I felt like such a slacker compared to them, just moping around with nothing to do before my dead end job began. I sighed and started to stare at my feet when things started to get too boring to look at. Then I ran into somebody.  
  
We didn't collide too hard, but she still dropped her purse, and, mumbling apologies, I knelt down to help her pick everything back up. We bumped heads then, and I finally looked up to see. . . Holy crap. . . not now. . .  
  
"InuYasha! Hi!"  
  
It was Kagome.  
  
All I could do was kind of sit there, and. . . goggle at her. "Uh. . . hi," I managed to mutter.  
  
We rose slowly, and, throwing her purse back on her shoulder, she said, "So you're back! It's good to see you. How was America?"  
  
My eyebrows drew together slowly. I was confused. We hadn't exactly had a happy ending; so why was she being so nice? Truthfully, I would've liked it much better if she had just given me a small smile and disappeared. "America was. . . okay. How was the wedding?"  
  
She smiled. "Good. Very nice."  
  
I nodded. "Good."  
  
She smiled again, awkwardly.  
  
I looked at my watch. "Oh, sorry. I have to go. . . "  
  
"That's all right. See you around! I'm glad you're back!" she threw over her shoulder as she walked away.  
  
I just kind of stood there and watched her walk away. I was feeling very resentful toward her; I mean I knew it wasn't her fault, but resentment really helps you to get over somebody.  
  
She looked good. She had been dressed nicely (as always), and she was still beautiful. . .  
  
I sighed and turned in the direction of the shop, now in a very foul mood. Why do things like that always have to happen when you don't feel so bad? I was doing okay until BAM! - literally - I run back into my problems.  
  
I griped and groaned in my mind all the way to work, arriving a few minutes early. I went into the back room and waved to Mitsuko, who was still working there as well. Might as well load up the first few baskets. . . I looked to the rack to see how many deliveries I had. My jaw dropped. Kaede's place was starting to get very popular.  
  
I grabbed as many as I could carry out to the truck, and by the time I came back for more, Hetan was in the back room, picking up his own deliveries. But to me, it seemed more like he was bothering Mitsuko.  
  
"So you wouldn't go out with a guy like me?" he was asking her.  
  
I decided to pretend to be busy, but I eavesdropped carefully.  
  
"I don't think so," she told him sweetly. Mitsuko was a good girl. She knew a baka when she saw one, and luckily she could see that there was one right in front of her.  
  
"But why not?" he pressed on. "Dinner, a movie. . . I'm a gentleman.-*+"  
  
"I'm sorry Hetan." was all she said.  
  
I looked back at them, and saw that he was hovering in front of her closely, and I raised an eyebrow. I could hear him muttering something to her, and I decided it would be a good time to interrupt. "Ey, Mitsuko. He bothering you?"  
  
She looked up at me with a look that said "Thank you!" But she said instead, "It's all right."  
  
"Yeah, just go about your business," Hetan said, placing a hand on my chest and trying to push me away firmly. "Nothin' to see here."  
  
I stood my ground against his offending pushing, and pushed his hand away with a finger.  
  
He looked at me with a raised eyebrow, waiting for me to leave. I gave Mitsuko a look that said I'd be around if she needed me, and turned away.  
  
It was now time to leave, so I took off, but I had a feeling he was still bothering her now that I had left. Hetan just gave me the creeps. Sweet girls like Mitsuko shouldn't have to put up with guys like him.  
  
The creep.  
  


* * *

  
By one o'clock, I still had plenty more deliveries to get out. I wiped some sweat off of my forehead as I drove; the day had turned out to be one of those very hot days, where you just don't want to go outside. But, hey - at least I was gettin' paid.  
  
I saw that my next delivery was to go to the Tokyo publishing offices. Where Sesshoumaru worked. Perfect. Seemed like someone was always retiring from there; the place has been in business forever. Hopefully I wouldn't run into my brother.  
  
Not that I don't like him - naw, ever since we made up, things have been pretty cool between us. I just didn't want a situation that would make me think about how he married the girl I was in love with.  
  
I got out of my truck, and went into the building. A secretary sat at a front desk with a phone to her ear, and she was talking in a friendly voice. She spotted me, then held up her index finger at me, so I stood and waited. When she finished, she put the phone down, and turned her attention to me. "Can I help you?"  
  
"Yeah, I've just got a delivery for a. . . " I looked at the tag, wanting to leave as soon as possible, "Suzuki Yoko."  
  
She smiled. "I'll take that! Thank you!"  
  
I held my clipboard up. "Can you sign for it?"  
  
"Sure!" she said, fishing a pen out of the desk drawer as slowly as she could as I waited impatiently. She began to sign, and the pen died. She shook it and tried again, but it was pretty much dead. So, as she was fishing another out of her desk drawer, I heard, "InuYasha?"  
  
I stared ahead for a moment, wanting to believe that maybe I was just going crazy and I hadn't really heard Sesshoumaru's voice.  
  
"InuYasha, it is you! When did you get back?"  
  
I turned around to face a very well-looking Sesshoumaru staring at me with a smile, holding some papers in his hand. I almost freaked out, but then remembered that we were actually friends, now. I was still trying to get used to him being nice to me. "Hey, Sesshoumaru," I said as nicely as I could. "Can you. . . ?" I pointed to the secretary, who was still searching for a pen. He nodded, and when the secretary finally signed, asked me to come into his office to talk. I told him. I couldn't; that I was on a time schedule, and I immediately felt bad. Don't get me wrong; I *was* on a time schedule, I just felt bad because he really did want to talk to me, and I was trying my best to avoid him.  
  
He looked a little let down, but just nodded. "All right. . . well, why don't I come by this weekend? I would love to hear about America. You still at the same apartment?"  
  
I nodded, agreed, and waved goodbye to him, then high-tailed it to my truck. Why did I want to avoid everyone so badly? I mean, I know I'm not the most social guy until you get to know me, but I usually love to spend time with my friends. I guess it was because they were all directly connected to Kagome. Especially Sesshoumaru. But I knew better than to hold it against him; he was my brother, we shared our father's blood. When I left after Dad's funeral, we didn't get to talk at all. And when I went away, he probably had to hear it from Sango.  
  
As I drove, I listened to myself think. I was actually referring to Sesshoumaru as a friend and brother. Not a jerk and half-brother. Why couldn't Dad have told us about his history with Sesshoumaru's mother *before* he up and had a heart attack? But then again. . . would that have brought us any closer? Something told me that I had really needed to hear the story from my mom. . . who I needed to visit, by the way.  
  
As I remembered this, my chest suddenly swelled with the need to see my family. Not my extended family - most of them could go to hell, for all I cared - I was talking about my mom, Sesshoumaru, Miyouga, Sango, Miroku, Kagome (yes, her too), and finally. . . my dad. I wanted to sit with them all and just, have dinner, or something. Talk and be together. . . hmm, someone was missing, though. . . Oh yeah, Rin, too. My niece. Dammit, I was an uncle, and I hadn't even fully realized that until now.  
  
I needed people. I needed my family. Hell, Sango and Miroku's puppy could come, too.  
  


* * *

  
When my day was over, and my job was done, it was back to the diner for dinner.  
  
I walked in, the place becoming more and more familiar with every step I took, the bell on the door jingling loudly as the door slammed itself shut.  
  
The place was desolate as it usually was at night, and April the Waitress was easy to spot, wiping down the tables and humming "Maggie May" to herself softly, along with the radio. Her flaxen hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the thick locks swung back and forth with her as she moved. She did not look up as I walked by, but said instead, "Hey, Delivery Guy."  
  
Had my uniform given me away this morning? I said nothing and walked past her, to my usual booth in the back. I didn't have to wait very long; April the Wonder Waitress wasn't as busy as she usually was, tonight.  
  
When she reached my table, she held up her hand and said, "Wait - let me guess. A burger and water. Right?"  
  
I raised an eyebrow and nodded.  
  
"Low salaries suck, huh?" she asked conversationally as she wrote my order up on her notepad.  
  
I just scoffed in agreement. So April the Waitress knew what it was like to be virtually poor, too.  
  
I watched her long, nearly entrancing pony tail swish behind her as she turned sharply to give my order to the bored cook in the back. My thoughts turning back to Sesshoumaru, I looked out the window. The sky was black now, the moon covered by thin clouds.  
  
So Sesshoumaru was coming by this weekend. That would be pretty okay - I was willing to talk to him, after all; he was family. Then a scary thought occured to me: What if he brought Kagome with him?  
  


* * *

  
Okay, I know I'm a wimp, but I was petrified for the rest of the week about Sesshoumaru coming to visit. I mean, seriously - what if Kagome came with him? I think the awkwardness of the visit would be enough to give me a heart attack.  
  
Saturday finally rolled around, and I sat on the couch that morning staring at the TV, even though it wasn't turned on. Too much was on my mind to watch anything. I needed to straighten my place up; clothes were strewn here and there, and there were still boxes piled with stuff I had brought back with me from America.  
  
So what was I gonna do? Suck it up and hold out if Kagome came? I know I acted that tough, but really, when it came to her, I couldn't do it. Sighing, I pulled myself up off the couch, and stretched, yawning so widely that it made my eyes water. I felt so tired. . . when could I get some peace of mind?  
  
It was around ten o'clock when I finally got the place straightened. The doorbell rang just as I sat down, and I was thankful, in a way, that I could go ahead and get this over with. I stood for a second with my hand on the doorknob, said a little prayer, then opened the door to my expected caller, Sesshoumaru. But, to my relief, Kagome was not with him. He smiled at me, and I looked down to see Rin standing beside him, beaming up at me. She let go of his hand that she had been holding and exclaimed, "Uncle InuYasha!" She jumped forward and hugged my legs, and all I could do was catch myself from falling backward with surprise.  
  
Sesshoumaru smiled wider, and when Rin let go of me, I said, "Hi. Come in."  
  
Rin darted into the living room and jumped up on the couch. What a little ball of energy. Sesshoumaru and his graceful self then strode over to the couch and sat beside her, looking content and ready to talk. I felt awkward, for some reason, but pushed the feeling down.  
  
"You guys want anything?" I asked  
  
Sesshoumaru shook his head, so I sat down in my old chair by the couch.  
  
"How have you been?" he asked.  
  
"Good," I replied.  
  
"Only good? How was America?"  
  
"Fun," I said.  
  
He raised an eyebrow. "And college?"  
  
"Educational," I replied. He was doing his best to get some more in-depth answers out of me, but really, I couldn't think of anything else to say.  
  
"So I hear you're writing. Are you any good?"  
  
I shrugged. "I got a few articles published in the newspaper in New York. Nothing special, though."  
  
"I'm curious to read some of your work."  
  
"Naw, I - I don't really have anything with me. And if I do, it's buried in a box somewhere. I'm trying to save up for a typewriter. I'm starting to work on a story idea I've had kicking around in my head. But, I dunno, it might not work out."  
  
"Don't be so modest. If you want to get anywhere, you have to share your work. Reviews are the most helpful thing you can receive."  
  
"Yeah, I - I know." I shifted in my seat, and decided to change the subject. "So, how's everything with you and - and Kagome?"  
  
He smiled. "We're just fine. You know, I wanted to send you an invitation to the wedding, but Kagome insisted I didn't; she said she didn't want to interrupt your schooling. But I - I wanted you to be my Best Man."  
  
I gulped, and suddenly felt sick at this new information. Guilt churned in my stomach, and I said, "Who - who ended up doing it, then?"  
  
"Miroku. He was my second choice, anyway. I just wish you could have been there. We were married on the beach, by a little restaurant Kagome and I love to eat at."  
  
"I was the flower girl!" Rin piped up.  
  
I couldn't help but chuckle a little. Rin was cute.  
  
"Yes," Sesshoumaru said, putting an arm around his daughter, "Rin-chan seemed to be having the most fun out of all of us."  
  
She just beamed back up at him. She turned to me, then. "Did you get to see all the big buildings, Uncle InuYasha?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Were they taller then the ones here?"  
  
"Most of them."  
  
Her eyes went wide. "Wow. I want to see them one day! How big were they?"  
  
I put on my most serious face, and leaned forward toward her. "*Big*."  
  
"Wow!" she giggled, clapping a hand over her mouth.  
  
Sesshoumaru was smiling, and he turned to me. "Are you hungry, InuYasha?"  
  
Truthfully, I was starving, but just shrugged. "Yeah."  
  
"Let's get some lunch. On me."  
  
"Oh, no - you don't have to - "  
  
"Let me, please," he said in a final tone. "I will whether you like it or not. I know you're working at that basket shop again; you can't be making very much. Now, come on. I know what it's like to live on such a low salary. You're probably starving right now."  
  
I stared at him for a moment, and nodded.  
  
"Well, then," he said, stranding up, "come on."  
  
Rin jumped up and tugged at my arm. "Please come eat lunch with us!"  
  
Well, damn. . . what choice did I have?  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   
  


* * *

  
Aw, Rin returns! I just love her. . .  
  
Review, guys! C ya! Thanks for all the sweet reviews I've been getting so far! You guys are AWEsome!  
  
Honey Bee 


	3. Paychecks and Virgos

Chapter 3 Paychecks And Virgos  
  
Lunch with Sesshoumaru and Rin had turned out to be a lot of fun. Although, I don't think I showed it. When I sincerely told Sesshoumaru that I'd had a good time, and that we should do it again, he nodded and smiled, but he seemed a little surprised, and I don't think he believed me.  
  
Well, that weekend was long over, now, anyway, and two weeks later I was back at the damn diner for the zillionth time. I was starting to get used to everyone around there; April the Waitress, Mike the Cook, and Harry the Janitor. They were the regular workers, anyway. I noticed all of the other workers - the manager, the other cooks, and one other waitress - seemed to come and go as they pleased.  
  
The Regulars were starting to get used to me, too. To April, I was "Delivery Guy," since I didn't feel I knew these people enough to give them my name. And besides, no one ever asked, anyway. She told me hi every day, and on good days, I would just give her a slight smile, and nod. Any other day, I would just nod. She caught on to this somehow, and my mood depended on how much she came around. When I was in a good mood, she was hardly around, just there to take my order and such. But when I was in a loathsome mood, she seemed to come around constantly - like this particular day.  
  
I'd had another rough night, one where I couldn't even close my eyes I was so pent up. When I came in for breakfast that morning, tired and groggy, April was at the table immediately.  
  
"Hey, Delivery Guy."  
  
I nodded.  
  
She smirked. "Ususal?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
She smiled playfully, and turned away. I was seriously starting to think she liked to tease me. It wasn't annoying, or anything, and I didn't want to make a show of myself by acting like a five year old and telling her to get lost, so I put up with it.  
  
She returned with my food, and set it down in front of me with a loud clatter, making me jump out of my thoughts.  
  
"Sorry!" she exclaimed, grinning.  
  
I tried to glare at her, but I yawned instead. She giggled. I just turned to my breakfast, and after a second, she moved away from the table.  
  
Today, she had some rock station on the radio. That was another thing. She listened to something different everyday. I kind of liked it - it seemed to give me something to look forward to in such an automatic schedule. 'What will April the Waitress have on the radio today?' It was an everyday question. Hearing what she had on the radio everyday was like reading your daily horoscope in the paper, or something.  
  
Which was another thing April liked to do. When I came in late at night after work, she would be sitting on a stool at the counter, reading her horoscope out loud to Mike. It was a thing of irony, reading your daily horoscope when the day was over. But then again, April was a very ironic person.  
  
Mike the Cook would just stand behind the counter and listen with a smirk, leaning back with his arms folded over his chest casually. Mike was an average guy, pushing forty. He had a muscular build, as if he'd had some other heavy job before now. He also had a gut, (from too many beers, I suspected) concealed by his usual apron. Mike had a kind, and almost comical face. He still had his dark hair, and it was slightly balding, but other than that, I would say he wasn't too rough looking at all. Given you don't count the tatoos on his massive upper arms.  
  
The horoscope thing is what they were doing when I came in that Friday night, later than usual. I'd had to go by the bank - Kaede was finally paying me - and put my check in. For six bucks an hour, I would have my typewriter money saved up in no time.  
  
Giggling happily, April looked up from her newspaper and said hello. I decided to give her a smile tonight. Hell, maybe I would celebrate my paycheck by being in a better mood. Her green eyes sparkled and turned back to her paper. "Let's see. . . "I could hear her saying to Mike, "Virgo. . . ah! Here it is. 'Virgo! Pay attention to the people you meet. The new relationships you will encounter today will have a positive influence on you and your personality. A special someone may even be waiting for you in the near future.' Oooooh. . . they know me so well," she said swiftly.  
  
Mike smirked. "You don't actually believe that stuff do you?" asked his gruff voice.  
  
April just shrugged, and pushed herself up off the stool. "Get the usual for Delivery Guy, Mikey," she said to the cook, and he went into the back to fix my burger. Newspaper in hand, April came over to my booth, and sat down across from me. She had something up her sleeve, it seemed, by the look in her eye. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
She then made a most peculiar face. Her eyebrows drew together, and she leaned forward to peer at me. I leaned back into the seat, eyed her back warily, and said, "What?"  
  
"What about you. . . "she said musingly, "could you be the special someone?"  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Oh, don't pretend you weren't eavesdropping, I know you heard my horoscope."  
  
"Why do you read your horoscope at the end of the day?"  
  
"Why do you come in here everyday and order the same thing?" she retaliated.  
  
I raised my eyebrows. "Okay. . . you win. It's all I can afford."  
  
"That's what I guessed. I read my horoscope at the end of the day because I want to see if what it said would happen *did* happen."  
  
"Did it?"  
  
"I dunno, there's only an hour 'till midnight. A lot can happen in an hour."  
  
I shrugged. "You're right. . ."  
  
"I just figured," she said conversationally, "when you read your horoscope in the morning, you're anxious all day to see if it will come true. So, instead of being anxious all day (and disappointed at the end of the day), I read it at night, and if it didn't come true, Mike and I laugh about it."  
  
"That's an interesting way to look at it," I offered.  
  
She nodded. Mike called her name from the counter and she went to get my meal. When she brought it back over, she sat back down. "What's your name, anyway, Delivery Guy?"  
  
I looked up from my burger. "I don't know if I want to tell you. . . I kind of like the one you've given me."  
  
She blushed. "Well, what else was I supposed to call you? I guess I could've named you Seymour. . ."  
  
I cringed.  
  
"Or Bob. . . "she continued thoughtfully, "but Delivery Guy seemed the most appropriate."  
  
I nodded and bit into my burger.  
  
"Are those good?" she asked.  
  
I looked up with a mouth full. "Mm?"  
  
"The burgers. Are they good?"  
  
I swallowed. "You've never had one?"  
  
"Nope! I bring my own lunch," she said. "I'm also a vegetarian."  
  
"Oh. . . yeah, they're good," I said.  
  
"But you're getting tired of them, right?"  
  
I nodded and took another bite.  
  
"So make it more interesting."  
  
Chewing, I quirked an eyebrow.  
  
"Put, I dunno. . . pickles on it, or something."  
  
"I don't like pickles."  
  
She crinkled her nose in a cute fashion. "Me neither. Okay. Then. . . Ooh, I know! Why don't you have breakfast for dinner?"  
  
Catching on, I looked up at her, my eyebrow still raised. "And dinner for breakfast?"  
  
"Yeah! That should make things a little more interesting."  
  
"I'll think about it," I said.  
  
We slipped into silence, and she watched me eat. After a while, it began to bother me a little. "Why are you watching me eat?"  
  
She shrugged. The rock station was still going in the background, and when I finished my burger, she stood up. "Walk me home?"  
  
I looked up in surprise. Hadn't seen that coming at all. "Uh. . . "  
  
"Oh, come on!" she grabbed my wrist, and pulled me over to the counter, where she retrieved her purse. Mike appeared from the kitchen.  
  
"Goin' home?"  
  
"Yup!"  
  
"I'll walk you."  
  
"No, don't worry about it. Delivery Guy's gonna take me."  
  
Mike gave me a crude once-over, making me nervous. "You sure?" he asked.  
  
April nodded enthusiastically, making me think of Rin.  
  
"All right. . . "Mike said.  
  
"Okay!" April exclaimed, grabbing my hand again and leading me out the door. "See you Monday, Mikey!"  
  
As we stepped out into the cool night air, April sighed. "Good, it's not humid. I hate humidity, it makes my hair frizzy."  
  
I shoved my hands in my pockets and walked beside her, her silent guard for the night. The streets were almost surprisingly empty, and we walked alone, April's steps lively and happy, mine more somber and hasty as I tried to keep up with her. How did she have so much energy?  
  
"I hope I'm on your way," she said.  
  
I shrugged.  
  
I looked down at my shoes, trying to remember the last time I had walked with a woman, and was surprised to find it had been a year. It was when I had taken that walk in the garden with Mom, back at home.  
  
I then felt April nudge my arm. "What are you looking at the sidewalk for? It's not as beautiful as the sky!"  
  
I looked up at her, and smirked a little. She was the most optimistic person I had ever met.  
  
My eyes turned to the stars at her suggestion, and they were blinking down at me as usual. "It's just the stars," I said.  
  
"Yeah! They're beautiful, huh?"  
  
I shrugged. "Sure. But you see them every night."  
  
"Not if you look at the sidewalk. Bet you haven't seen the clouds in weeks."  
  
My eyes widened comically, and I looked at her. She laughed. I smirked a little, and looking up, noticed that we were taking my route home. I didn't say anything, but just figured she must live somewhere close by.  
  
We made small talk as we walked the rest of the way, (or rather, *she* made small talk), and I got a sneaky suspicion as we began to near my very own apartment building. "Which apartment building do you live in?" I asked her.  
  
"That one!" she pointed to my building.  
  
"No shit. . . "I muttered. "That's my apartment building."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. . ."  
  
"What floor are you?"  
  
"Third."  
  
"Me, too! What room?"  
  
". . . Twenty-seven."  
  
"I'm in twenty-six."  
  
My eyebrows drew together. What a small world. "How long have you lived there?"  
  
"About three weeks."  
  
"I can't believe I've never noticed you," I said.  
  
"Well, you usually leave the diner before me, and I leave in the morning before you. So naturally, we never see each other leave. . . Wow, what a new and interesting turn of events." she said.  
  
We reached the elevators inside and rode up together in silence. When we stepped out into the hall and reached apartment twenty-six, we both laughed ironically.  
  
April shook her head. "Well, thanks for walking me home, Delivery Guy."  
  
"You know something?"  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Since you skillfully coaxed me into walking you home - "she giggled, "- I think you deserve to know my name." Not that I was going to enjoy telling her. People usually had odd reactions to my name and what it meant. And then they ask me why I'm named "dog demon," and I just shrug and change the subject. Inwardly, I was proud of my name, but outwardly, I didn't like to talk about it, especially when people acted weirdly about it. "It's InuYasha."  
  
Her face gave no drastic change, and she just smiled. "I like that name."  
  
"People usually act funny about it," I said to her.  
  
"Well, I'm not 'people,' and I like it. It fits you. Besides, how do you think I feel? My name is a month."  
  
I smirked. "Well. . . goodnight."  
  
"See you Monday!"  
  
"Yeah," I said, walking past her to my own apartment next to hers.  
  
"Bright and early!" she added teasingly.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," I said, smiling a little.  
  
When I got inside, I could hear music start up softly in her apartment through the somewhat thin walls. I shed my uniform and threw it in the hamper, and made my way to my bed in the dark. I laid down and listened to the soft song that was playing on April's radio. It sounded old, like something from the black-and-white that I had watched the other day on TV.  
  
I found myself wondering what she was doing. I pictured her taking all that hair out of it's clip, the golden-blonde locks falling down to her back, silky and soft, the round curls at the bottom bouncing with her movements as she unzipped her uniform. . .  
  
Then I felt like a pervert. I'd just met her and I was thinking about her that way. But, she was attractive. . .  
  
Then Kagome had to but in. Why she popped up in my mind just then, I don't know. But thinking of all of April's hair somehow made me think of Kagome's hair. . . I don't know how - the two girls were completely different when it came to looks. Kagome had a dark beauty, the elegant kind. April's beauty was more radiant, and she kind of glowed in the right light. . .  
  
I felt better that night for some reason. I guess it had just felt good to have a girl around again, someone to talk to who didn't know my past. Soon, still listening to the soft music that floated through the walls, I fell into that state again, where I sort of slept. But there was one good thing about it: I didn't dream this time.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Saturday, I woke up not feeling so tired. It was about twelve o'clock, and I thought that was pretty funny, because I hadn't slept until noon since my highschool days. And that morning Kagome and I had. . .  
  
I sighed, aggravated at myself, and got up out of bed. I showered, and as I was getting dressed, there was a knock at my door. I threw my shirt on and smoothed my hair down, and when I opened the door, April was standing there.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
"Hi."  
  
"Are you doing anything?"  
  
"Not really."  
  
"Have you eaten?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Good! Come here!"  
  
The next thing I knew, April had grabbed my wrist, and, barely giving me time to lock my apartment door, dragged me around the corner and into her own apartment. When we were inside, she sat me down at a table by the window, and ran over to her kitchen counter. I just watched with curious silence, noting the delicious smell in the apartment. She had been cooking something, and I suspected she wanted me to try it, whatever it was.  
  
Soon, a pale yellow plate was put on the table in front of me, and on the plate was. . . "Blueberry pie?"  
  
"Try it! It's my first time making it, and I need an opinion."  
  
I shrugged, and she handed me a fork. I decided to play with her a little, and eyed the little piece of pie suspiciously. I looked up at her, and saw that she was anxiously biting her lip. I was trying not to smirk as I slowly cut a bite with my fork, and then, I hesitantly put the gooey pie into my mouth. It was delicious, but I tried not to show it, and set a contemplative look on my features. I chewed slowly, and let her watch me. I could see her fidgeting out of the corner of my eye, and finally, she blurted, "Well?"  
  
I swallowed, and smiled suddenly. "It's delicious, where'd you get the recipe?"  
  
She sighed with relief and smacked me on the arm. "You scared me!" I laughed at her, and she pouted at the pie on my plate. "So it's good?"  
  
"Yes! Have you tried it yet?"  
  
She shook her head no and cut a piece for herself. I watched her put a piece into her mouth, and a slow smile spread on her lips as she chewed. "Mm, it is good! Yes! I can make blueberry pie now!"  
  
I laughed a little. "Congratulations."  
  
She bowed playfully. "Thank you. I know what I'm making for the T.A.A. picnic, now!"  
  
"TAA?"  
  
"Tokyo Animal Association. I'm a member, and we're having a picnic tomorrow - hey, wanna come?"  
  
I thought it over, then shrugged. I wasn't doing anything of special interest the next day, anyway. "Sure."  
  
"Okay, then. I hope you like dogs, cats, and birds, because there's gonna be lots of them." She sat down beside me at the table and leaned back comfortably, looking satisfied. "Do you like animals?" she asked.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Hmm. . . "  
  
"What?"  
  
"You don't strike me as the type."  
  
"They're okay. I've never had a pet."  
  
"I did. . . "she looked out the window sadly. "My cat, Ringo. He died a year ago. I still haven't really gotten over it. But, that's another reason I'm going tomorrow. I'm gonna adopt a new cat! I'm really excited about it."  
  
I didn't say anything, but instead studied her. She looked different without her uniform on. She was in a pink shirt and pair of jeans, and tennis shoes. She had her long hair pulled up into a ponytail, and was glowing as usual. She looked over at me suddenly, bringing be back to reality. "You won't mind a cat around will you, dog demon?" she teased.  
  
I made a face that said "Oh, please.". "I'll try to restrain myself," I answered blandly. 


	4. The TAA

Chapter 4 The T.A.A.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"SQUAWK!"  
  
I jumped back as a caged African Grey attempted to bite my finger in two, and glared at the bird reproachfully. April giggled.  
  
"You have to watch out for Patty," she said, nodding to the bird. "She may act sweet at first, but once you get close-"she made a set of "jaws" with her fingers and snapped them at me.  
  
"Damn," I muttered, inspecting my finger thankfully.  
  
"Come on, let's go look at the cats!" she said excitedly.  
  
We were in the park for the TAA meeting, on that nice, breezy Sunday afternoon. People strolled around idly, playing frisbee with their dogs and lounging lazily under large oak trees eating lunch. April and I were "pet- shopping," as she liked to call it. Cages were set up in rows all around, with tons of dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, gerbils, and even goldfish.  
  
We had been at this for an hour already, because April simply couldn't decide which kitten she wanted. They all looked the same to me. "Just pick one," I told her.  
  
"You don't understand!" she shot back. "If I pick the wrong one, we could have bad karma!"  
  
I rolled my eyes, but ended up smirking. I wondered blandly if she was trying to be cute on purpose.  
  
After a few more moments of cats, cats, and more cats, April finally let out a large gasp.  
  
"Oh my gosh!" she said in English. "No way!!!!"  
  
"What is it?" I asked.  
  
"Ringo! It's Ringo's reincarnation!!!!!"  
  
"*Wha*. . .?"  
  
"Look!" She pointed to a small, mousy-brown colored kitten with black rings around it's tail. "That kitten - it looks just like him!!!"  
  
"So is this the lucky cat?"  
  
"Of course!" she said matter-of-factly, smacking me on the arm with the back of her hand. She leaned over the pen that held the kitten and reached down to pick it up. "Come here," she cooed softly to the tiny creature. It didn't hesitate when she grabbed it up out of the pen and into her arms. She held the kitten up to her face and buried her nose into it's tiny neck, smelling it's fur. She crinkled her nose, then. "You need a bath, little guy," she said to him in a cute voice. She giggled and continued the scratch him behind the ear, while the kitten tried to lick at her nose, it's ringed tail swishing back and forth happily.  
  
I don't know where the thought came from then, but it occurred to me that April and this cat just looked damn right together.  
  
"What are you gonna name it?" I asked.  
  
"Well, first of all, we need to stop calling it, 'it,' and see what 'it's' gender is," she said with an ironic chuckle. Still handling the kitten carefully, she flipped it over in her arms and examined its gender. "Male." she concluded shortly. She then held the kitten up in front of my face. It's little paws hung over her long fingers, and it looked at me awkwardly. "InuYasha," she said, "meet Ringo Starr II!"  
  
I laughed. April was the only person I knew that could get away with naming her cat after one of the Beatles. Twice. I reached up and pet the little creature on *his* head. Ringo licked at my hand playfully, and the action made me smirk.  
  
"He likes you," April said softly.  
  
I looked up at her, and her smile at me was as soft as her voice. The sun was shining down on her hair, making her look radiant, and her eyes an even clearer green then ususal. I gulped, and tried to think of something to say. I was saved by a familiar voice calling my name.  
  
"InuYasha! Hey, man!" I felt a hand clap onto my shoulder, and turned around to see Miroku smiling at me, looking as happy as ususal.  
  
I smiled. "Hey! What brings you here?"  
  
"I should ask you the same thing," he said, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't know you were into animals."  
  
I shrugged. "This is my friend April," I said, motioning to her. "She invited me."  
  
"We've met!" April said happily. "How you doing, Miroku?" she asked casually.  
  
He smiled. "I'm fine!"  
  
"Sango here?"  
  
"Yeah, she's over there with Randie. He was hungry, so we actually fed him some of your pie!"  
  
April laughed. "You didn't! But that's people food!"  
  
Miroku shrugged. "He didn't seem to mind."  
  
I remembered that Randie was Sango and Miroku's Golden Retriever puppy. I smiled at the thought of the little guy with blueberry pie all over his snout.  
  
Miroku suddenly pointed over to a tree in the middle of the park that was drenched in sunlight. Under the tree was a blue blanket, and on top of that blanket were Sango and Randie. I smiled again, watching her play with the puppy, scratching him behind his ears and chattering sweet little nothings at him.  
  
"You guys want to join us?" Miroku asked.  
  
April and I readily agreed, and we all went over to the tree together. When Sango saw me, her face lit up. "InuYasha! What are you doing here?!"  
  
"He came with me," April said, still cradling Ringo in her arms as she sat down carefully across from Sango. Sango smiled warmly at her, and they began to talk about the kitten.  
  
By this time, little Randie was getting curious. He happily sniffed his way over to me, and barked up at me. He pawed at my lap, begging for my attention. I smiled down at him and mussed the silky fur on his head, and laughed when he tried to enjoy a good scratch and lick my hand at the same time.  
  
"I think he likes you, InuYasha," Miroku said across from me.  
  
I shrugged. "I've been getting that a lot today."  
  
"They can sense that you're a good person, that's all," he replied.  
  
Good person? Was I?  
  
Figuring it had just been an ambiguous remark, I looked up at my long-time friend of almost two years, and saw that he was being completely serious.  
  
"Randie!" Sango sang from her place on the blanket. That one call alone got the pup's attention, and he turned away from me to saunter over to her, panting excitedly as only little pups could.  
  
I watched curiously at what April and Sango were doing. When they didn't explain, I shot April a questioning look.  
  
"We're testing a theory," she said plainly.  
  
"What would that be?" asked Miroku to his wife.  
  
Sango was turning Randie around to face Ringo, whom April was mirroring to the pup. "We're seeing if cats and dogs can get along as babies and stay friends when they're older."  
  
Miroku and I looked at each other, both knowing that this was possible, but we didn't say anything, and agreed silently to let the girls test their "theory." It was amusing, after all.  
  
The pup and the kitten bumped noses a few times, then sniffed at each other around their necks. Ringo licked Randie on the snout, and Sango squealed. "They like each other!"  
  
April clapped her hands together happily, and continued to watch the pets play together.  
  
I just shook my head, then let my thoughts drift away from our spot under the tree. I turned my attention to a laughing middle-aged man playing fetch with his large black terrier. A smiling old woman passed in front of him with her duschound, the squat little dog happily walking as fast as his legs could go to keep up with her. My eyes followed the two until I spotted two teenage girls standing and chattering casually, both of them holding their cats.  
  
Then there was something I realized. All of these people were happy. Their pets made them happy. "You know something?" I said suddenly, interrupting my group's conversation. Everyone turned to look at me expectantly. "I think I would like to get a dog."  
  
April gasped. "That's great! Let's go pick one out right now!" She grabbed my wrist and pulled me up off the blanket, leaving Ringo in the care of a startled Sango and an amused Miroku.  
  
I staggered along behind April as she pulled me excitedly over to the pens and cages of breeders who were selling their puppies. "Wait - do you want a homeless one or a purebred?" she asked, stopping short.  
  
I shrugged. "Which is better?"  
  
"Well, the homeless dogs are free. And besides, I think mutts have more personality," she said with a wink.  
  
"Homeless, then," I decided. I didn't think I could afford a purebred pup, anyway.  
  
She grabbed my wrist once again, and continued down past the purebred puppies and to the larger pens. Puppies were everywhere. All shapes, sizes, mixes and colors. Most of them were a sandy-colored light brown, tawny- looking, with long hair that hung in their eyes. They romped around playfully, nibbling at each other's limbs and growling absently. My eyes scanned the happy little creatures, until they fell on one particular puppy sitting calmly upright in the corner of the pen. He had a short-haired, rich-chocolate-brown colored coat, and amazing jade-green eyes. He stared up at me expectantly, calmly, almost daring me to pick him up and take him home. I never turn down a dare.  
  
I pointed to the puppy. "That one."  
  
April looked up, surprised that I had chosen one so quickly. She looked at the dog, and then at me. "Are you sure? This little guy is going to be your life-long friend. You should choose carefully."  
  
"I'm sure," I said confidently.  
  
"Do you feel an *affinity* with him?" she asked in a mock-mysterious voice.  
  
I nodded. It was true. This pup was like me, in many ways, I could feel it already. April reached down into the pen and picked him up. She held him up in front of her face and smiled. "You're cute," she said to him. "And you sure don't *look* like a mutt. You're also a male," she added, making sure.  
  
I smiled at her as she handed him to me. He sat in my clumsy hands timidly, awkwardly. He seemed a little shy. April watched us closely, biting her lip, anxious to see how the puppy would take to me. He seemed so nervous. I took pity on him, and tried to calm him with a few soft strokes on his back. He looked up into my face and reached up ineptly to lick my cheek.  
  
April's anxious expression melted into a smile. "Good. He likes you. You know, you two kind of compliment each other."  
  
I smiled down at the puppy, my mind now wandering to the next question. What was his name? "I don't know what to call him."  
  
"You'll think of something," April replied.  
  
As we walked back to the tree together, Sango and Miroku watched me intently. "You picked one already?" Sango asked.  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Good for you!" Miroku said. "What his name?"  
  
"I dunno," I told them honestly.  
  
Sango shrugged. "You'll think of something."  
  
I set my new companion down with Randie and Ringo. He wandered over to them, and curious little Randie immediately took to him. Randie tackled the little guy, and growling, the little guy nibbled back. Feeling left out, Ringo sauntered over and jumped on top, causing Randie and my pup to fall on their sides. April giggled. "They're getting along so well!"  
  
"Looks like we'll have to get them together more often!" Sango commented.  
  
I looked up then and noticed Miroku staring off toward the breeder's cages with a huge smile. I turned around to see what was making him so happy and saw off in the distance, Sesshoumaru, Kagome, and Rin standing at the cages of cats. Sesshoumaru was talking with a breeder, and Kagome and Rin were crouched in front of a cage, pointing at every other kitten. If I knew Rin, she wanted to take every one of them home. I smirked grimly at the happy little family, and my eyes lingered on Kagome before I turned back around to face the rest of my group. I knew that seeing all of them together was an inevitable situation, but it still hurt a little. I was really jealous of them.  
  
"I'm gonna go say hi." Miroku got up, and tugged on Sango's sleeve for her to follow. When April and I were alone, she asked, "Who are those three?"  
  
"My brother Sesshoumaru, his wife Kagome, and Rin, my niece."  
  
April stared at me for a moment. "Aren't you gonna go say hi, too?"  
  
I sighed. "Maybe."  
  
I guess she decided not to pry, because she didn't say anything else until Miroku and Sango returned. "We probably need another blanket," Sango was saying to Miroku.  
  
I looked up at her. "They're joining us?"  
  
She looked back at me apologetically, but secretively. "Yeah. . ."  
  
I stared at the ground for a moment, and then decided to be a man and suck it up. I could be good at pretending. And besides, maybe being around Kagome some more would help me get over my feelings for her. Though, inside, I seriously doubted that would happen.  
  
Soon, the family of three joined us. To make room, April volunteered to move off of the blanket with Rin, and they stayed beside me at it's corner. She immediately began to ask about the kitten Rin had brought over with her, and what Rin was going to name it.  
  
Kagome and Sesshoumaru took their places, and soon, everyone was talking to someone, with the exception of myself. I just watched April and Rin play with the kittens and puppies, making sure not to make eye contact with Kagome. I could hear her laugh every now and then, and it sounded just as pleasant as always, but something was different about it. It sounded more mature, even her voice did. I think marriage had really changed her. That wasn't what I had liked about her, I knew. But I still couldn't look at her for some reason. What was my problem?  
  
"InuYasha."  
  
It was Kagome herself. I looked up at her, and found that I had been worrying over nothing. I gazed into her brown eyes easily, evenly. "Yeah?"  
  
"You never got to tell me about America. How was it?"  
  
I shrugged. "It was okay. I couldn't see what all of the fuss is about."  
  
"But the tall buildings!" Rin exclaimed from my right.  
  
Everyone laughed, and I smirked. "Yeah, I guess those were pretty cool," I said to her.  
  
"So what was it that wasn't so cool about America?" April asked, amused at my aloofness.  
  
I gazed back at her sardonically. "New York was no different from Tokyo. It was just as crowded and just as busy."  
  
"But the American customs?"  
  
"What customs? Everyone seemed to do as they pleased."  
  
She sighed. "I guess you're right. Everyone's gotten pretty lazy there."  
  
"When did you come to Tokyo, April?" Sango asked.  
  
"About two years ago. But I'd been plenty of times before, to visit my mother. She was a scientist, studying some of the wild animals of Japan."  
  
"Did she only work in Japan?" Miroku asked.  
  
"No, she traveled around. China, Africa, South America, England. Sometimes she took me with her, sometimes I stayed back in America with Daddy."  
  
Sango leaned forward, interested. "What made you want to move here of all places?" April smiled up at Sango. "Well, I lived here with mom for six months when I was thirteen. Everything just seemed so wonderful here, I can't describe it. I was very happy here. It was the best six months of my life."  
  
Miroku smiled. "So that's why your Japanese is so good."  
  
"Domo arigato, Miroku-san!" April beamed.  
  
I continued to watch everyone, mostly April. She seemed so wise to me, now that I knew about her past. I had a feeling she was a lot smarter than she let on to be. Yet she was so simple. She would carry on full conversations with Rin, and even Ringo. I wondered why she invited me to go with her to the picnic.  
  
Interrupting my thoughts, my own brown puppy approached me silently. He sat down in front of me, and looked up at me expectantly. I looked back at him, not sure what to do. So, I reached out and picked him up, putting him in my lap. He whimpered a little, and I calmed him by stroking the fur on his back. He licked my hand, and I smiled.  
  
"Is he yours?" I heard Sesshoumaru ask.  
  
I turned to face him and saw him with a serene smile. "Yeah. Just got him today."  
  
"Is he a purebred?"  
  
"Nope. He's mixed. Doesn't look like it, though."  
  
"He's beautiful."  
  
I shrugged. "He's kinda quiet, though."  
  
"He's just not used to you yet."  
  
I looked back down at my new pet and tried to rack my brain once more for any possible names. He sat so quietly, so still, watching Randie play with Ringo, and Rin's recently named kitten Rainbou. It occurred to me that all of the other animals' names began with an R. . . so, I wanted my puppy to be different. And then it came to me. "Jeik."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~  
  
Heh heh heh heh ^_^;;  
  
"Jeik," pronounced, "Jake."  
  
I just figured, if they were to say Jake in Japan, they would pronounce it "Jak - ay." *giggles* That's also what's up with "Rainbou." I just had to change the spelling so it would make more sense. ^_~  
  
Hope you like where it's going! I look forward to your reviews! C ya soon! Honey Bee 


	5. Who's Training Who

Chapter 5 Who's Training Who  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Being a first-time pet owner was kind of hard. I had to leave Jeik alone a lot, and he would always whimper and whine when I had to leave for work in the morning. Since I hardly slept anyway, I would get up about two hours before work and walk him, then I would take him to the diner with me at night.  
  
"How's Ringo?" I asked April one night. "Don't you have to leave him alone a lot?"  
  
"Yeah, but cats are different," she replied. "When he gets older, he's probably not gonna care if I'm not home. They find ways to occupy themselves." She had a paper bag in her hand, and she set it down in front of me. "I have something for you."  
  
"Eh? What is it?"  
  
"It's something other than a hamburger. Eat up, no charge."  
  
"Hey - thanks."  
  
She winked. "Don't worry about it. Now eat and take that puppy home, he looks sleepy."  
  
I looked at Jeik. He was sitting up straight beside me in the booth, his eyes wide open, looking right back at me. He didn't look tired to me. But I figured that April would know better than I would, so I just shrugged and ate the great food she gave me. When she passed by a few moments later, I said, "April, what is this?"  
  
"Tofu."  
  
"Eh?! Really?"  
  
"Yup. It's good for you."  
  
I raised my eyebrows and looked at the food, then resumed eating. I gave some to Jeik, and he seemed to like it, too, but then again, Jeik would eat anything.  
  
Full, and tired, I went home that night and slept for the first time in a year. It wasn't the best sleep I had ever gotten, but it was still something to celebrate. I also had that eighty bucks saved up, and that weekend April went with me to the store to buy that typewriter I had saved for me.  
  
When we got it back to my place, I set it up at my desk, and April stared at it.  
  
"I like it." she said. "Do you?"  
  
I was starting to get the hang of April's questions. When she asked me if I liked it, it wasn't a stupid question. She was asking if I really felt this was THE typewriter, or if I felt I could have gotten something better. I know. It doesn't make any sense, yet it makes perfect sense. "I don't know, yet," I replied. "I'll have to write a little on it first and see."  
  
"Well, then, I'll leave you to it!" She looked down at Jeik then and said to him, "Jeik! Come on, kid! You hungry?"  
  
He perked up and followed her to her apartment, collar tinkling happily, leaving me alone with my new typewriter. I stared at it for a moment, then put some paper in it, and realized that I would have to retype the first chapters of my novel I had written on paper. Sighing, I got up and dug the papers out of a box marked "Stories, etc.," and sat back down to begin retyping everything. After the first few sentences, I realized how bad the story really was. And no, I don't care to share the plot with you. It was really that bad.  
  
So, I threw the chapters away, and brain stormed. I needed an idea - I wasn't good at just getting them out of nowhere. Usually, Professor Clark would give us a topic to write on, and I guess I got dependent. It was hard to write on my own.  
  
And then, I got an idea. I had Prof. Clark's screen name - I could just see if he had any good ideas. He was always full of ideas. Mom had the Internet, and I needed to visit her anyway. So, I planned a trip for the next weekend, packed myself and Jeik up, and left Tokyo for home.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
I could hear the doorbell ring from outside the Manor, and in no time, Miyouga was at the door. "InuYasha-sama! What a wonderful surprise!"  
  
I said hello and stepped inside, feeling weird about being back at home again. Jeik was cradled in my arm, and he looked around with wide, curious jade eyes, sniffing the air curiously.  
  
"Miyouga," came my mother's voice from the top of the staircase, "Who is here?" She came down the stairs to see, and when she saw me, her eyes lit up. "InuYasha! Oh, come here!"  
  
I put Jeik down and hugged my mother tightly. I had missed her so much, and it felt good to be with her again. "Mom. How ya been?"  
  
"Fine! Just wonderful. And how was America?"  
  
I was really starting to get tired of that question. "It was all right," I told her. "I learned a lot."  
  
"Are you here on holiday?"  
  
Oh yeah. She didn't know I dropped out. "Uh. . . no, Mom. . . I uh, dropped out."  
  
Her face fell a little. "Why?"  
  
I shrugged.  
  
"Well," she said, brushing it aside with a shake of her head, "we'll talk about it later." She turned her attention to the tiny pup on the ground. "And who is this?"  
  
"This," I said, picking the puppy up off the floor, "is Jeik, my uh, new best friend."  
  
Mom laughed a little and took Jeik from my hands carefully, smiling.  
  
I watched her as she cooed little things at Jeik, and noticed how happy she looked. She was smiling a lot - not like the Mom I knew, that was for sure. I should have been suspicious, but I was so happy at seeing her smile, I didn't think anything about it.  
  
After dinner, I went online, and I was lucky. Prof. Clark was on, and I was able to talk to him for the first time in months. I asked him how he was, and got all of the casualties out of the way, then got down to business. "'Help me,'" I typed to him. "'I need ideas - you know I suck when it comes to ideas.'"  
  
"'You don't "suck,"'" he typed back. "'Use your head. Use your everyday life.'"  
  
As good as the advice was, I was too thick-skulled to understand what he meant at the time. "'But my everyday life is too boring. I need something that's "out there."'"  
  
"'Trust me, Tokunawa. You don't need anything "out there." You've got everything right where you are, just look around. What do you see? Who do you see? What do you think about the place you're living in? You're one of my brightest students, Tokunawa. I know you'll think of something.'"  
  
Ah, the wise words of Professor J. Clark. He really was a brilliant man. I looked up to him so much, and I took his advice to heart, always. "'Domo arigato, Prof. Clark.'"  
  
"'Live long and prosper,'" he joked, and I laughed out loud. (It was an inside joke, something that happened in class one day. Long story.) "'And don't wait too long to talk to me again, either, Tokunawa.'"  
  
"'I won't, I swear. Goodbye, professor.'"  
  
I signed off and got up to go to bed, still trying to think of something - anything - I could get a good idea from. As I was stretching my arms above my head tiredly, Mom entered the study. "Well, good night," I told her.  
  
"Before you go to bed," she said.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Your professor's name - what did you say it was?"  
  
"Clark. J. Clark. I never learned what the 'J' stood for."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"It's nothing."  
  
"Well, you think you might know him, or something?"  
  
"No. 'Clark' is such a common name. He could be anyone."  
  
"Oh, well. . . okay. Night, Mom."  
  
She nodded and I went off to bed, wondering if I would sleep that night, as well. For a week and a half, I had been sleeping every night, and I was proud of myself. I flopped back on the bed, and heard a bark from somewhere on the floor. I sat up and looked at Jeik. His eyes were pleading me again. "Oh, no," I told him, "we're not starting that."  
  
He whimpered.  
  
"Please don't do that!"  
  
He whimpered again, a heart-breaking little whine.  
  
I sighed. "All right - come here." I patted the place beside me and he came to me to let me pick him up. I placed him on the bed beside me, and got under the covers. He settled down near my stomach. I looked down at him for a moment, and he looked back up at me. "This is the last night," I told him, "and then you sleep in your own bed."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
At lunch the next day, I sat by myself out in the garden. My typewriter was in front of me, and I was staring at it, with a cup of tea in my hands. The paper was deliciously blank and just begging me to write something on it. But I couldn't think of anything. What would I do? A book? A novel? Maybe an article?  
  
I sipped my tea, and continued to stare. Mom was out shopping, and no one else was here but a few maids, and Miyouga, of course.  
  
Then, Miyouga himself appeared from out of the house. "Yo," I told him simply.  
  
He bowed, smiling a little. "May I sit down?"  
  
"You know you can, Miyouga. Stop treating me like royalty."  
  
"Yes, InuYasha-sama."  
  
I sighed. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't get the guy to stop being so formal toward me. So, I let it slide. "What's up?"  
  
"I wanted to speak with you about Cassandra-sama."  
  
"What about her?"  
  
"I am worried about her."  
  
Miyouga was worried? I leaned forward. "What's wrong?"  
  
"She has been. . . taking pills, lately. A lot of them."  
  
"Pills for what?" I asked slowly.  
  
"Anti-depressants. You've noticed how happy she seems?"  
  
"Yeah. . . yeah, I noticed that. Well. . . that's okay, isn't it? I mean, if she's depressed. . . Losing Dad and all. . ."  
  
"That is understandable, InuYasha-sama, but she has been taking more than she should. It has been a year. . . she should be over her grieving. These pills. . . she should not need them anymore. I am afraid she may be dependant on them."  
  
"You mean. . . she might be addicted?"  
  
"That is what I am afraid of."  
  
Well, hell, I didn't know what to do about it. And now I was really worried. Was Mom really that bad? I mean, for as long as I could remember, she wasn't the happiest woman, but was she really so bad she needed pills? "How often does she take them?" I asked.  
  
"Every day."  
  
An anti-depressant every day? "Shit. . ."  
  
"Maybe, if you talked to her, InuYasha-sama. . ."  
  
"Yeah," I nodded. "Yeah, I'll talk to her tonight. I can't understand. . . Why does she need pills?"  
  
"I believe she gets lonely."  
  
I looked up at Miyouga, realizing this for the first time. I had never thought about it - here, by herself everyday; of course Mom had to get lonely. "Doesn't she meet friends for lunch? Doesn't she go out?"  
  
"Hai, but she is never with anyone who is not. . ."  
  
"Not what?"  
  
"Narcissistic."  
  
I threw my head back and laughed. "You're right about that, Miyouga! God. . . who does she go out with?"  
  
"Your family members."  
  
I scoffed. "Well, no wonder. They're all rich snobs. Mom. . . she needs intelligent conversation."  
  
"Hai, InuYasha-sama. I must get back to my duties - would you like anything?"  
  
"No, that's all right," I replied. "Hey, Miyouga - thanks for letting me know about Mom. I'll talk to her tonight."  
  
"You're welcome, InuYasha-sama."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"Hey, Mom."  
  
I stood in the doorway to her room, and she turned around in her vanity chair to look at me. She smiled. "InuYasha. Come here - I have something for you."  
  
It was about ten o' clock, and Mom was looking, well, lovely, in her flowing white nightgown, her auburn hair down and ready for bed. I always loved to visit her in her room at night when I was little. . . man, I miss those days.  
  
I went in and sat down on the bed, and she joined me with something in her hand. "I found this," she said, holding out her hand. "We thought we'd lost it three years ago. . ."  
  
I looked into her hand to see a pocket watch. It was solid gold on the outside, and it looked like new, but I had a feeling it had just aged gracefully.  
  
"Go on. Take it."  
  
I looked up at her and took the watch. It felt so weird - like something out of a movie. The son always inherits the father's pocket watch, you know?  
  
I held it in my hands and flipped it over, then opened it. It had stopped at 2:23 who knows how long ago, and I looked into the lid to see an inscription:  
  
// "No tears, no fears.  
  
Remember, there's always tomorrow.  
  
So what if we have to part?  
  
We'll be together again. . .  
  
Some day, some way,  
  
We'll both have a lifetime before us.  
  
For parting is not goodbye. . .  
  
We'll be together again.  
  
Your Elizabeth" //  
  
"They're lyrics," Mom told me. "To a very old song. Elizabeth gave this to your father for his birthday some. . . twenty-four years ago."  
  
I whistled.  
  
"Well, I didn't think it was *that* old," she replied lightly.  
  
I just half-smiled an continued to study the watch. "I think. . . I think Sesshoumaru should have this. It's proof. That they were really in love."  
  
Mom nodded. "That's a good idea. Didn't you say he just got married?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Don't you think it would be good. . . to give this to him on their first anniversary?"  
  
I looked at the watch, and nodded. "Yeah. . . I like that idea. Thanks, Mom."  
  
She smoothed the hair on the side of my head comfortingly, and I swallowed. I had to ask her about the pills, and I wasn't looking forward to it. "Mom. . . Miyouga came to speak with me today." I tucked to watch into my back pocket. "He told me he's worried about you. . . he said. . . you've been taking a lot of anti-depressants lately. . ."  
  
She turned away from me and got up to sit down again at her vanity. "I have not. I only took then for a while, to help me entertain guests. He's just an old worry-wart."  
  
I gave a small, awkward laugh at her strange name for him and pressed on. "Well. . . Mom, Miyouga's never lied to me. . . and he of all people should know. . ." I got up and stood behind her, then leaned down to wrap my arms around her, and rest my chin on her shoulder. "Mama. . ." I whispered, "If you're unwell. . . please tell me. I have to leave tomorrow morning. But I can come back next weekend. I can spend time with you - "  
  
"That won't be necessary, InuYasha," Mom interrupted me kindly. "I'm fine," she said, placing a hand on my arm. "Don't worry about me."  
  
A tiny whimpering noise interrupted us, and I straightened and turned around to see Jeik on the floor behind me. Mom laughed. "He's tired, InuYasha. He wants you to put him to bed."  
  
I sighed. "I don't understand," I said, leaning down to scoop Jeik up into my arms, "Why can't he just go to bed on his own?"  
  
"He needs you, InuYasha," Mom replied. "You're his Papa."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Whatever. Alright, kid," I said to Jeik, nuzzling my nose into his neck and receiving an affectionate lick on my cheek. "Let's go to bed, buddy."  
  
I stopped in the doorway, and turned back to look at my mother. "I love you, Mom."  
  
"I love you, too, InuYasha."  
  
When I got into my room, I tried to get Jeik to sleep in his own bed I had bought for him a few weeks back. He refused to. He wanted to sleep with me, for some reason, curled up right into my stomach. And if I even moved to put him on the floor he would whimper. And I would give in every time.  
  
Wait - who was training who, here?  
  
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*Sigh. . .* Okay, I updated! I feel better. . . I think I was having some writer's block or laziness, or something. That's not like me. . .maybe I'm coming down with something. . .  
  
Well, anyway, SPRING BREAK IS HERE!!!!!!!! WHOOOO-HOOOOO!!!!!!! Okay, and now that I have that off my chest, I wanted to let you guys know, that the next chappie should come a lot sooner than this one did, since I'll have a whole free week next week (yay!). ^_^ Hope this chappie was good, and informative, and interesting, and all that other stuff. . . review, guys! I luv ya, babes!  
  
C ya soon!  
  
Honey Bee 


	6. April May

Chapter 6 April. May.  
  
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"InuYasha!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You're baaaaaaack!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I missed you!!!"  
  
April threw her arms around me and started kissing my cheek rapidly. I just laughed, and tried to push her off of me so I could breathe.  
  
"I was only gone for a few days," I said, amused.  
  
"I know, but I still missed you!"  
  
April was in one of her more jubilant moods today, and just seeing her so happy actually made me feel good to be back. "I feel so welcome," I stated. She just smiled and shrugged.  
  
I picked up my suitcase and walked past her into my apartment, and she followed, cooing little things at Jeik. She threw herself onto my couch and asked, "How was home?"  
  
"It was. . ." I tried to think of a word, remembering Mom's situation. "It was alright, I guess."  
  
Her eyebrows drew together. "That doesn't sound good."  
  
"No, Mom's okay. . . our uh, family friend, Miyouga, is just worried about her."  
  
She got up and walked with me into the bedroom, and sat on the bed as I put my clothes from my suitcase away. "Why is he worried?"  
  
"He, uh. . ."  
  
"Oh - gomen! I didn't mean to pry!"  
  
"No, it's okay. . ." I decided to tell her. Might as well; I had to talk to *someone* about it. "He thinks she's hooked on anti-depressants."  
  
April chewed her lip.  
  
I shrugged. "I asked her about it; she told me she wasn't, that I shouldn't worry."  
  
"But let me guess - you have a feeling you should trust Miyouga's word more?"  
  
"Yeah. . ." I stood there and stared down at my suitcase, my hands in my pockets. I must have looked troubled, because April sat up on her knees and approached me. She came close, until our noses were about two inches apart and said softly, "It'll be okay. Hey. . . you can help your mom. Why would she be depressed?"  
  
I looked up at her and back down again, and shrugged. "I guess she's still grieving over my dad. He died a year ago from a heart attack. . . it was hard on the whole family. Well, the immediate one, anyway."  
  
"My sympathies," she said truthfully. "I never see my Dad - he's so far away in America. Sometimes. . . sometimes it feels like he's gone. I kind of know how you feel."  
  
I sat down close to her on the bed, and she leaned her head on my shoulder and reached a hand up to play with my hair. For some reason, things had turned so melancholy. . . maybe I was just finally getting all of the sadness out of my system.  
  
"So," April spoke up, "do you think your mom is lying?"  
  
"I want to believe her," I replied. "But I wonder. . . you know? My whole life, she's always been a sad woman. She was forced into marrying my father, and was forced to move here from America. She was in love with a man there. . . they never got to be together, and I think she was broken without him."  
  
"That's awful. . . You said your mother is American?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So, that's why your skin's so light," she said with a tiny smile, running a finger over my cheek.  
  
I smiled. "Yeah. Anyway, this weekend, Mom seemed so happy. . . she was smiling and laughing. . . that's just not like her. . . I mean, I was so happy to see her smile, but. . . something wasn't right about it, you know?"  
  
April nodded seriously. "You can help her."  
  
"Doesn't she need to admit that she has a problem, or something like that?"  
  
"Probably. I don't know anything about addictions. . . But you can help her by being there for her. Hey - what if you tried to track down that old love of hers? He may still be around."  
  
"I dunno. . . I asked her why she didn't try contacting him again. She said they stopped writing each other ten years ago, and the last she heard he had a wife and two daughters."  
  
"You know, the rate of divorce is pretty high in America."  
  
I laughed. "You could be right. But, I don't know - that would just seem too good to be true. Ten years is a long time. And people change. I know that for sure."  
  
April nodded again. "That is true, but if he's her true love, they will end up together somehow."  
  
"True love?"  
  
"Yes. You don't believe in that?"  
  
"I. . . I thought I did. I don't know, anymore." Her fingers still stroked my hair, and I decided it felt nice.  
  
She said softly, "What could have happened to you. . . to make you give up on that?"  
  
Kagome flashed across my vision, and the heartbreak I had felt still only a month ago came back a little. "Kagome."  
  
"Kagome? Isn't that - "  
  
"The Kagome from the picnic. Yeah."  
  
"Wow. That must be awkward."  
  
"It is. But I'm getting over it. I was a fool. . . I had actually thought she was the one. . . And then I said some stupid things to her. She got mad, and we broke up, and the next thing I know, she's married to my brother."  
  
"Woah."  
  
"It took me a long time to get over her. A whole year. And we'd only been together for about four days."  
  
"Geez, you were in love with her after only four days?!"  
  
"Well, we knew each other before then, but she had a boyfriend at the time. When she finally broke up with him, she came right to me, and we. . . we spent the night together. And all day the next day. I had never felt so happy with someone. I fell hard, and for the next few days things were pretty okay. Then, I don't know what happened. I ruined it. I wanted her to tell me she loved me, and she couldn't say it."  
  
April said nothing, just continued running her fingers lightly through my hair.  
  
"I regret saying those things to her. . . being so hard on her."  
  
"If she came back to you. . . would you take her back?" Quietly.  
  
I thought about it. "I. . . don't know. I fell in love with who she was at the time. She's a different person, now. She has responsibilities. She's an adopted mother, and a famous author, at that. She's a different person. No. . . I don't think I could be with her, now."  
  
"Are you afraid of falling in love again?"  
  
"Well, I couldn't say it's the most appealing idea at the moment."  
  
"That heartbreak. . . it won't happen again."  
  
"I know. . . I just don't want to feel that hurt again. Ever."  
  
"You won't. It's your turn, now."  
  
I turned my head to look at her. Her face was serene, and she looked back at me openly. Her green eyes. . . they looked back into mine calmly, almost wisely. I actually thought about kissing her. Her full lips were in perfect placement for a kiss. All I had to do was lean forward.  
  
So I did, but right at that moment, she turned away. As she walked out of my bedroom door, and called for Jeik. "He's got to be hungry," I heard to call to me as if nothing had happened.  
  
I sat there for a moment, wondering if I had done the wrong thing. I wondered then - had I really wanted to kiss HER, or was I just desperate for some physical contact?  
  
I couldn't tell. It had been so long since I had kissed someone, I thought as I finished putting my suitcase away. I guess since the perfect opportunity had been there, I had taken advantage of it. But it wouldn't have been fair to April.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
I was at work the next day when Kouga asked me if I wanted to go for a drink later that day. I told him sure, and met him at the usual place around 7:00.  
  
As we sat down at a dark booth in the back, he asked, "So, how you been, man?"  
  
"Good, I guess. Things have been cool."  
  
"That's good."  
  
"How's the college thing been going for you?"  
  
He nodded. "Great, actually."  
  
"What's your major?"  
  
"Engineering."  
  
"Damn!"  
  
He shrugged.  
  
"Why didn't you go to college earlier?"  
  
"Money was tight."  
  
Just then, our waitress appeared. She was a cute girl, I noticed. She was of American descent, had very wavy brown hair that fell to her shoulders, and a long neck. Her smile was bright, and she seemed very petite, and short. Kouga seemed to take notice of this as well, and when the two locked eyes, the waitress smirked. "What can I get you?" she asked smoothly.  
  
Kouga's smirk mirrored her own. "Two beers, and. . . Sex on the Beach?"  
  
Her eyes sparkled. "Coming right up."  
  
She turned away with a flip of her hair. I raised my eyebrows.  
  
Kouga sat, watching her walk away. "Damn!" I heard him mutter.  
  
I couldn't help it. I had to laugh.  
  
His amused eyes turned to me. "What?"  
  
I just raised my eyebrows at him. "Ask her out."  
  
He smirked. "I plan on it."  
  
When she came back around, the light hit her eyes a certain way, and I noticed that they were almost identical to April's, only more blue. I looked at the tag she wore on her shirt. "May." Her name was May.  
  
April. May.  
  
"Excuse me, miss,"I said to her as she was setting our beers down. She looked up and raised her eyebrows in question. "Would you happen to know a girl named April?"  
  
She looked at me for a moment, and an amused smiled spread slowly across her face. "I have a little sister named April."  
  
"How little?"  
  
"She's a year younger than me. You know her? She's blonde and really quirky?"  
  
"That's her."  
  
"Well," she said, still amused, "what a small world."  
  
"Certainly a coincidence," Kouga spoke up.  
  
She flicked amused eyes back to him. "Certainly."  
  
She got out a rag to wipe down our table quickly, and accidentally, her elbow knocked Kouga's drink over and into his lap. She dropped any flippant act she was putting on and clasped her hands over her mouth. "I'm so sorry!!!! Oh, my god, please, let me help you!"  
  
Kouga just laughed and stood up. His tall stature towered above hers by a head. But she didn't notice; she was too busy grabbing up handfuls of napkins and handing them to him. She was mumbling apologies the whole time, and finally, Kouga said, "It's okay, really. It was just an accident."  
  
"I know, I just feel so bad."  
  
"It's just my work uniform. Look - I'll tell you how you can make it up to me."  
  
He had her full attention.  
  
"Let me take you out to dinner."  
  
Her mouth dropped open a little, and she stared up at him. "O. . . okay."  
  
"There, see?" he said with a smile. "All better. We're even."  
  
She continued to stare at him as he sat back down, then snapped back to reality. "Oh, right! Let me replace that drink for you!"  
  
She dashed off, and when she was out of earshot, Kouga burst into laughter. "She's adorable!" He was still wiping at the huge wet stain on his pants.  
  
'She's April's sister,' is all I was thinking. April. . . Suddenly, I wanted to go see her.  
  
Knowing it would be rude to up and leave Kouga, I stayed with him for another hour or so, chatting with him idly about nothing in particular, sports, the waitress May, and work.  
  
When we decided to go, I watched, amused, as Kouga exchanged numbers with May. "See you tomorrow night," he said.  
  
"'Kay." She bit her lip with a smile, and turned away.  
  
When Kouga and I reached our trucks, we told each other goodnight, and I set ff for my apartment, to pick up Jeik and check on Ringo.  
  
I left the apartment with Jeik and walked him down to the diner. I swear, the pup was getting cuter every day. He stopped at the most insignificant little things to take a sniff, and was growing more curious lately, I noticed. When I had first brought him home, it had seemed like he'd been afraid to move, but now, he was happy and curious. I still couldn't get him to sleep in his own damn bed, though.  
  
The bell on the door jingled when we stepped into the desolate diner, and April was at the counter, her head laid down in her arms.  
  
"Hey," I said, sitting down in the stool beside her. "You doing okay?"  
  
I heard her inhale deeply, and she looked up blearily. She had been asleep. When she saw me, she blinked. "Oh, hi! Is it late, already?"  
  
"Not too late. It's almost ten. Why were you sleeping?"  
  
She shrugged. "Just tired."  
  
"Haven't you been working a little hard, lately?"  
  
"Are you worried about me?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Don't be. I'm perfectly fine. You want anything?"  
  
"No, I'm not hungry."  
  
"Hey, Jeik!" she cooed suddenly, taking him from my hands. He licked happily at her hands, and tried to get at her face, but she held him at a distance, smiling.  
  
Mike appeared from the back. "Oh, hi!"  
  
"Hey, man." I answered.  
  
"April," he said to her, "Go ahead and take the rest of the night off, ne?"  
  
She shrugged. "Alright." She yawned, stretching her arms up. I looked away, blushing at how nicely her uniform had stretched over her torso.  
  
"Good night, Mikey!"  
  
"Night. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
April turned to me and grabbed my hand. "Let's go home," she said tiredly.  
  
I nodded and followed her out of the place. When we were outside, I put an arm around her shoulders, and she leaned her head back into my shoulder as we walked. Why was she so tired? She was never like this.  
  
"I met someone at the bar tonight. You might be interested to know who." I said.  
  
She looked up sleepily. "Who?"  
  
"A girl named. . . uh. . . May?"  
  
She gasped. "MAY!!!!! Oh, wow! You met May! How did you know we were sisters?"  
  
"Well, here eyes were almost identical to yours, and her name was May. . . I just put two and two together."  
  
She was fully awake, now, and smiling. "What a small world," she sighed.  
  
I laughed. "Yeah, that's what she said."  
  
She giggled. "Yeah, we hang out too much."  
  
"How come you never mentioned her before?"  
  
"You never asked."  
  
I laughed. "That would explain it. Oh, yeah, my buddy Kouga got her number. They're goin' out tomorrow night."  
  
She laughed. "Good for her. He must be hot, then."  
  
"I wouldn't know," I said.  
  
She just laughed at me as we continued to walk home, Jeik prancing around in front of us, showing off.  
  
"Oh, yeah. . . "I mentioned. "How do you get dogs sleep in their own beds?"  
  
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Well, hope it was satisfactory!!!!!!  
  
Hmmm. . . April seems to be hiding something. . . wonder what it could be. . . I mean, who the hell wouldn't kiss InuYasha?! lol  
  
Review! I love you!!!  
  
Honey Bee 


	7. Keeping The Demons Away

Chapter 7 Keeping The Demons Away  
  
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"Jeik, come on," April was calling him. She was crouched down beside his bed, trying to get him to come to it. "Come here, kid," she continued, patting her knee. He continued to sit there, gazing at her as if she were telling him to go jump into quicksand.  
  
It was Saturday, and April and I were trying to figure out what Jeik didn't like about his bed.  
  
"Maybe it's the wrong color," she stated simply.  
  
"Eh?! What are you talking about? I'm sure he doesn't care what color it is."  
  
"Hey, dogs have the right to choose, too!"  
  
I just shrugged from my spot on the bed. "Well, I can't just go buy a new cover."  
  
"I know. . . hey! I have an old one around, somewhere - be right back!" She was up in a flash, and soon returned with an old red pillow. "Maybe this will work." She held it to Jeik's nose, and he sniffed it curiously. While all of this was going on, Ringo wandered in out of nowhere and mewed loudly.  
  
"Hey, guy," I muttered to him. He came to me and tried to jump up on the bed, but I ended up having to pick him up off the ground when he started clawing at my sheets. As I held him in my lap and stroked his soft fur, April was changing Jeik's pillow. She plopped the old red one down in place of the new green one and gave it a good pat. Jeik padded over immediately and jumped up on it. My jaw dropped. "How. . . how did you. . . Heeeeey!!!" Okay, I know I was whining, but how did she *do* that?!  
  
She just laughed at me. "I told you it was the color."  
  
I just shook my head.  
  
"Oh, hey," she spoke up, "I rented a movie, and I hate watching movies by myself. Wanna watch it with me?"  
  
"What movie is it?"  
  
"It's a very, very old movie called 'Gilda.'"  
  
I smiled. "Aw, yeah, I love that movie."  
  
Her features turned confused. "You. . . you've seen it?"  
  
"Yeah, it's great."  
  
"How. . . you're into old movies?" she asked me, perplexed.  
  
"They're a favorite past time," I said distractedly, dangling a piece of string in front of Ringo as he swiped at it.  
  
"Really. . ." she said thoughtfully. "I didn't see that coming. I seriously thought you'd turn it down."  
  
"Turn down Rita Hayworth? Sorry."  
  
She laughed, looking at me in a whole new light, I guess, because she was acting like she'd never met me before.  
  
"My best friend is an actress," I said to her. "You think we went through our entire four years of high school drama class without the classics?"  
  
"'We?' You mean you used to act?"  
  
"Yeah. I used to love acting. But it wasn't something I was considering seriously," I muttered, still teasing Ringo.  
  
"Wow," she said, smiling. "You're just full of surprises. . . aren't you, InuYasha?"  
  
I just looked up and smirked.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Later that night, we turned out all of the lights in the apartment and snuggled down under an afghan in front of the couch. April leaned her head on my shoulder, and I did the natural thing and put my arm around her. I was cool with casual touching. It kind of made me think of my days with Sango - we used to sit like that all the time. But something different was happening with April - I kept thinking about how I'd almost kissed her. I was finding that I still wanted to.  
  
Suppressing those feelings, I watched a frazzled Glenn Ford get into gambling trouble until a man (I can never remember that actor's name) came into the scene and saved his life.  
  
"You know, I thought this movie was going to be really boring when I first watched it," April muttered.  
  
"Well, yeah the beginning's a little slow if you don't pay attention," I muttered back.  
  
"I like the love story," April said simply.  
  
I didn't say anything and continued to watch. I remembered watching "Gilda" for the first time. I had thought it was going to be another corny black- and-white with too many annoying musical numbers and bad acting - but I had ended up impressed. Rita Hayworth blew me away, and the characters' deep relationships startled me.  
  
"Ooh, here's the hair-flip!" April whispered a little later.  
  
I smirked and watched as Gilda's new husband asked, "'Gilda? Are you decent?'"  
  
Rita did the famous hair flip (causing April to squeal), and then asked playfully, "'*Me*?'"  
  
April giggled. "Rita Hayworth, Wanted Sex Goddess."  
  
"You got that right," I muttered with a smile.  
  
It was after that "Put The Blame On Mame" number that April fell asleep. I knew she probably would - she'd been looking tired lately. It was when I looked over and saw her crying that I began to worry. I hadn't noticed until she had whimpered. Wondering if the death of the casino owner was really that bad, I looked over to see what was wrong, and tears were streaming down her cheeks silently. Her eyebrows were drawn together seriously, and the look didn't become her at all. The only April I had ever seen was the vibrant, happy one. Not the troubled one.  
  
"Hey," I whispered, nudging her softly. She didn't wake up, but instead snuggled closer into my side, and whimpered again. My heart twisted, and I couldn't figure out what to do. I wanted to wake her up and take her away from whatever horrible dream she was having, but she kept her eyes squeezed shut.  
  
"Gilda" forgotten, I wrapped my arms around the sleeping April and tried to comfort her the best I could. I could hear her sniffling, and could feel a spot on my shirt becoming wet with her tears. "Hey," I whispered, trying again to wake her. Keeping her close to me, I grabbed her shoulders and held her so I could see her face. It was all red and blotchy - her lips and eyes were swollen, and I hated seeing her cry. I hated seeing ANY girl cry. Still do to this day.  
  
Worried now, I tried some quick thinking. What could wake her? Water? No. . . her grip on me was too tight, I couldn't get up if I'd wanted to. I didn't want to jar her awake - that would probably surprise her, and the last thing she needed was a good scare. I pressed my forehead against hers, and closed my eyes. I could feel her trembling. I was scared now, because I couldn't wake her up, and I didn't know what to do. I was border-lining panic.  
  
What was wrong with her? What was she dreaming about that was so utterly horrible? I opened my eyes to see her closed ones, and reached my hand up to caress her face. Her skin was on fire, which worried me - but she was soft. I continued to stroked her cheek with my thumb, hoping maybe she would awake slowly.  
  
"Shh. . . "I shushed her softly, trying my best to calm her. "You're okay," I whispered, hoping she could hear me. Not knowing why she was crying in her sleep was disturbing me. Hell, the whole situation was disturbing me. It was unreal, out of nowhere. And I was freaking out. "April. . . please wake up," I whispered louder. "Please wake up and tell me what's wrong. Please. . . *stop crying*."  
  
She never gave any signs that anything was wrong with her for the entire time I had known her. So how had this just come up out of nowhere? Usually, if someone was crying in their sleep, that meant something was very wrong, something was troubling them. What was troubling sweet, adorable April?  
  
I thought back to that day I had interfered with Hetan's persistent nagging at Mitsuko, back at work. Why did all of these sweet, innocent girls have to put up with such horrible things? Again, what horrible thing was bothering April?  
  
Suddenly, an idea occurred to me. It was a bad one, a senseless one, and kind of a selfish one. 'But it just might work,' I thought to myself.  
  
I stared at April's swollen, rose-pink lips, and then, I kissed them. I was just kissing her, she didn't kiss me back; I wasn't expecting her to. But she did seem to calm down a little. Her trembling subsided to shivers, and her tears stopped. And pretty soon. . . her sleeping-self caught on, and started to kiss me back.  
  
I found that every move she made, every time her lips slid over mine, it was heartbreaking. It was a slow, painful kiss, laced with lust. It was her pain.  
  
I never expected it to be that way. I had been thinking the past few days, if I kissed her, it would be happy, or passionate. Not painful and heartbreaking.  
  
Our kisses slowly faded, until or lips were simply pressed together. And that's when she decided to wake up.  
  
I heard her inhale sharply, and as soon as I opened my eyes, she was pushing me away. The comfort of her face so close to mine was gone, and the room felt cold, and it stung my skin. I tried to near her again ("April. . ."), but she whispered harshly, in a tiny voice, "Get away."  
  
Distressed, I watched her compose herself. She rubbed her eyes, and wiped her own tears off of her face, then got up. "I'm. . . I'm sorry for that, InuYasha," she said, her voice breaking. "I - I should go, now. I'll see you."  
  
She left as quickly as she could, and I just sat there on the floor, watching the door slam shut.  
  
For a few moments, I just sat there, blinking, as the movie credits played, and "The End," finally reached the screen. Then, that little voice in my head said, "What the hell are you still doing here?! Are you just going to let her get away that easily?! Go after her! Don't let her deal with her pain alone!"  
  
I was out of my door in a flash, and frantically knocking on hers. "April! April, please. . . please, open up!"  
  
Soon, her door creaked open, and there she stood, looking very stressed. I noticed her eyes - they looked a grass green, they way everything looks at Springtime, as opposed to their usual cool green. I took a breath, then said, "You have to tell me what's wrong with you. I can't just let you leave after that. What's going on, April?"  
  
She stared at me for a moment, and mumbled, "I don't wanna talk about it."  
  
She moved to close the door, but I stopped it with my foot. She shot me an assaulted look. "No," I argued, "it looks like you need to."  
  
"I don't. . ." Tears began to fill her eyes again. "I don't want you to know," she whispered, turning her head away.  
  
I could see right through her. "You need someone. Don't you?" I asked quietly, leaning my face in close. She didn't move, just stared into space, my very correct observation ringing in her ears. "You're there for everyone else when they need someone," I continued. "You've been there for me. . . Why won't you let me be here for you now?"  
  
She squeezed her eyes shut, and leaned her forehead against the doorframe. "I didn't want you to see me like this. I didn't mean to fall asleep. . ."  
  
"It's okay," I said back, softly. "It's okay. . . please tell me what's wrong."  
  
She stared ahead for a moment, into space. "I. . . I'm too. . . No. I don't want you to know, InuYasha," she finished suddenly, her voice strong. "Please, leave me alone. I'll be alright in the morning."  
  
'Do something!!!!!!' my mind screamed. "Wait!" I said before she closed the door. She stopped and looked up at me expectantly. "At least let me stay with you. . . to. . . keep the demons away?" I asked lamely, with a faltering smirk.  
  
She licked her lips (I shivered a little), and then opened the door wider. She smiled at me, and stepped aside so I could come in. "All right," she said.  
  
She shut the door behind me, and I stood there close to her, looking down at her. She looked back up at me, relief and gratitude in her vibrant green eyes. And I had to do it. I pulled her into a hug suddenly, liking the way it felt to wrap my arms around her. She stood there, and soon, her hands moved around my waist. "You don't have to tell me anything tonight," I said to her. "Just get some sleep."  
  
"Thank you, InuYasha," she replied, my shirt muffling her voice.  
  
I just smiled. Then, I grabbed her hand, and led her to her room, then boldly laid down with her, and wrapped my arms around her again. We fell asleep in no time.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
My own deep breathing woke me up the next morning. My eyebrows drew together as I lifted my head to look around. Where was April?  
  
Still in my clothes from the night before, I got out of bed and, stretching, shuffled into the tiny living room. April was at the stove, stirring what I guessed was a pot of oatmeal, her long ponytail of curls swinging and bouncing happily. I could hear her humming to herself, and I stood and watched her back for a moment. I noticed the way every move she made this morning was happy, and content. Any traces of sadness from the night before were gone completely.  
  
I leaned in the doorway, and, getting a shiver, I remembered the turmoil that had been in our kiss. The way every time she had moved against me, it had ached. She had been hurting. But looking at her that morning, she was just her usual, cheery self.  
  
I decided to let my presence be known, and cleared my throat.  
  
Surprised, April turned her head, the sunlight from the small window behind her making her glow. "Ohayo!"  
  
"Ohayo," I replied, pushing myself away from the doorway. "What's on the menu?"  
  
"Oatmeal!"  
  
"Mmm."  
  
"My special, none-other-like-it-in-the-world recipe!"  
  
"That's a long title for a recipe, isn't it?"  
  
"Nope!"  
  
I came up behind her and looked down into the large, bubbling pot, placing a hand on her lower back. I could feel her tense up under my touch, but I decided to push a little. "How are you feeling this morning?" I asked her softly.  
  
Blushing, she shrugged, moving away from me to grab a paper towel. As she wiped something sticky off of the side of her hand, she said. "I'm fine. I slept good," she said, changing the subject. "Did you?"  
  
I just looked at her with a small smile and nodded.  
  
She smiled back, and turned away to chuck the paper towel in the trash. "Go sit," she ordered.  
  
Soon enough, we were enjoying a bowl of pretty tasty oatmeal, as were Ringo and Jeik.  
  
"Didn't know you could give dogs and cats oatmeal," I said, eyeing the little mess-makers.  
  
April just smiled and shrugged. She was quiet for a moment, as if she were thinking something over. "Hey. . ." she said slowly.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Let's do something today."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Let's. . ." she thought for a moment, biting her bottom lip, "go to the beach?"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Jeik yipped happily at the shore, running along beside April and myself. We were walking in the surf, and the day was overcast, but the way everything glowed. . . it hurt my eyes a little to look around, but I kept sauntering behind April, my jeans rolled up and my hands in my pockets. She was wandering ahead, stopping every now and then to pick up a shell, or a brightly colored rock.  
  
She had Ringo cuddled up against her in one hand, and I could see his little tail wrap around her upper arm every now and then, as if he was afraid he would fall. He hadn't wanted to walk in the sand, as particular as he was, so April and I had ended up having to trade him off.  
  
"InuYasha!" April called over the roar of the waves, holding up something in her hand. She waited for me to catch up to her, and in her hand was a twisted white shell, lined naturally with bright red, blue, and yellow. We bent our heads over the shell, April turning it over with a finger to admire it's natural design. "All of the primary colors," she commented. "If it weren't for these colors, we wouldn't have orange, green, and violet."  
  
I nodded, fascinated by the shell. It looked like it had been painted that way. "Shells like these are rare," I said to her as we started walking again.  
  
"I know. I'm just lucky, I guess."  
  
I smiled, then winced as something cut my toe. I felt it with my foot, and stopped to bend over and pick it up before a wave washed over it and covered it too deeply in sand. When I opened my hand, I smiled. "Hey April," I said, the crashing of the waves muffling my voice. She was distracted, letting Ringo sniff at the shell she'd found. "April," I tried again. "April."  
  
A tap on her should finally got her attention. Giggling, she asked, "What?"  
  
"I may be lucky, too. Look at this."  
  
She gasped at the shell in my hand. It was about the size of the other, with the same type of stripes twisting around it. Only these stripes were orange, green, and violet.  
  
"You. . ." April said dramatically, "you found it's soul mate!!!"  
  
I laughed. "Soul mate?"  
  
"Yes! Wow. . . *we're* very lucky, InuYasha."  
  
"Guess so," I said, tucking the shell away in my pocket. She handed hers to me, and I put it away, as well.  
  
Tired, April just walked along with me, now, petting Ringo's fur absently. I looked over to make sure Jeik was still with us, and he had stopped back several feet behind us to sniff at something. I whistled for him, and he perked up to flop along over to us, his big, clumsy paws making him look cuter than ever as they slid around in the sand. He barked several times, and I walked around to where the waves stopped to be beside him. I sighed contentedly, and April came up beside me, bumping into me intentionally. "What?" I asked.  
  
"Nothing," she said, her tone a little somber.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"I feel great," she said calmly, honestly. "This is nice."  
  
"Yeah," I nodded, looking up at the sky for lack of anything better to do.  
  
The cool wind blew against us, balancing out with the heat of the day. Then, my mind wandered, and I had a question for April.  
  
"Hey. . . about last night. . . I kissed you."  
  
She swallowed. "You sure did."  
  
I stopped, turning toward her. "How did you feel about that?"  
  
She bit her lip, looking up at me with her wide, green eyes. She almost looked scared. "I. . ." she started. When she couldn't find anything to say, she just shrugged a little uncomfortably.  
  
Suddenly feeling like I had done the wrong thing, I thought quickly. I didn't want her to be uncomfortable. So I smirked. "Am I a good kisser?" I nudged her arm.  
  
Her face broke into a smile. I knew that would get her.  
  
"Well?" I asked, still smirking.  
  
Her smile turned into a smirk itself, and she raised an eyebrow, and turned away. I could just barely hear her start to sing above the loud waves. ". . . when they had the earthquake. . . in San Francisco. . . back in nineteen- six. . ." She got a little louder, and started to walk ahead of me. ". . . they said that old Mother Nature. . . was up to her old tricks!" She held Ringo up and spun him around. He mewed loudly as she brought him back down to nuzzle his nose with hers. ". . . that's the story that. . . went around. . ." her voice lowered once again, and I could hear her finish the song as I walked back up beside her. ". . . but here's the real low-down:. . . put the blame on Mame, boys. . . put the blame on Mame. . ."  
  
She grew quiet, and I just continued to walk beside her, enjoying her presence. 'Well. . .' I thought to myself. 'She must not have been too uncomfortable with my kissing her. At least she can joke about it.'  
  
"What do you want to do?" I asked her suddenly, out of the blue. "As a career, I mean."  
  
"I. . ." she sighed and gazed ahead. "I wanted to own a restaurant. I almost did. . . until. . ." her voice faded weakly.  
  
"Until?"  
  
She looked over. "Oh! Nothing. Things just. . . didn't happen the way they should have." She shrugged.  
  
I swallowed and nodded a little. Everything I asked her just seemed to bring up bad memories for her, or something.  
  
"But, *you*!" she said suddenly.  
  
I looked up at her, surprised. "Me?"  
  
"You! You are going to be a famous writer. . .Tokunawa InuYasha, famous author, reporter-"  
  
"Ooh, reporter. . ."  
  
"-playwright-"  
  
"Playwright?"  
  
"-script writer, novelist-"  
  
"Novelist!"  
  
"-sports magazine editor. . ." she sighed. "You are going to make it."  
  
I smiled, and laughed. "You've never even read any of my writing."  
  
"I know. But I will. I have a gut-feeling; you're good."  
  
"Well," I said, bowing to her playfully as we walked, "domo arigato."  
  
"Eh, it's nothin'!" she replied in English.  
  
I smirked. April had never heard me speak a word of English before, so I said, "Yes. . . but how do you *really* know that for sure?"  
  
"Oh, I just. . ." she stopped abruptly, her eyebrows drawing together. "Hey! You just-!"  
  
"Yeah, so?" I replied again, in English.  
  
She broke into giggles. "That's so weird!" she exclaimed.  
  
"What?"  
  
"No, you speak English really good, it's just weird to hear your voice speak it."  
  
I smiled a little, and shrugged.  
  
"I had no idea you could speak it so well," she said.  
  
"That's what I was in New York for; to perfect my English, and write."  
  
She smiled, comfort plain in her body language. "That's cool," she said, leaning an elbow on my shoulder. "Now I can talk to you in English any time I want to, and we can have whole conversations in front of people, and they'll have no idea what we're talking about. . .!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hiya! Sorry - it's been a long time since I've updated! I took a well- earned break, but now I'm back! I'm feeling fine and I'm ready to write! ^_^  
  
Hope you guys liked the new chappie! They kissed, they kissed! YAY!  
  
But still. . . what the hell is April HIDING?! I know, I know, you guys are probably ready to strangle me, you're in such suspense, but please, hang in there! All problems will be revealed in. . . maybe two chappies from now? I'm not sure, but that's my closest estimate.  
  
C ya soon!  
  
Honey Bee 


	8. Kanpai!

Chapter 8 Kanpai!  
  
"Look, buddy-"  
  
"Don't call me buddy, you sick fuck!"  
  
"Hey, man, calm down-"  
  
"No you keep your fuckin' hands OFF of Mitsuko! Got it?"  
  
Hetan held his hands up in defense. Kouga was backing me up, Mitsuko behind him, looking over his shoulder at Hetan.  
  
As for me - I was ready to pound Hetan's face into the ground.  
  
He had pissed me off for the last time. I had walked into the back room that morning to pick up my deliveries, and he had the door locked, and poor Mitsuko shoved up against the wall in the back. I looked in the window in horror at what I saw - his hands were everywhere on the poor girl, and she had been defenseless. I broke through the doors before anything could happen - from adrenaline rush, I guess - and Kouga arrived before I killed the guy. Now all we had to do was call up Kaede and get Hetan out of our workplace. And into the courtroom.  
  
Kaede finally got there, and she was seething. She looked almost as angry as me, and when the police arrived, they weren't too happy, either.  
  
Kaede gave Mitsuko the day off, and everyone else went on with their usual business.  
  
What had happened, though, bothered me until I got to the diner later that evening to pick up April.  
  
As we walked back to our apartment building, she asked, "Hey - you okay? You seem upset."  
  
"I am." I sighed. "I just had a rough morning."  
  
"Well, tell me about it."  
  
I told her everything, and by the time I was done, she was pale in the face, and her eyes were wide. Jeik whined a few times, sensing something wrong. "April? You okay?"  
  
She nodded, staring ahead.  
  
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed her hand. Her skin was cold, and she was shaking. She pulled her hand away firmly and shoved it into her coat pocket. "I'm okay," she said with a shaky laugh. "There's nothing to worry about. That - that's just a scary thought. Being r-raped, I mean."  
  
"Yeah," I agreed, eyeing her suspiciously. The wind that blew through the streets was cold - I could tell fall was there already, which meant that everything was going to die soon. The trees, and all, I mean. I know. I'm such an optimist.  
  
When we got into the hall back at our building, I stood with April before going inside. "If there's anything bothering you, April. . . you can talk to me. You know that, don't you?"  
  
She nodded, but didn't look me in the eye. I reached out and tipped her chin up. I spoke softly. "Look at me. You can talk to me. I can tell something's wrong, and if you tell me, maybe I can help you."  
  
She forced a smile. Tears were in her eyes, and she said, "I don't think you could help me, InuYasha. Just let me deal with this on my own." She took my hand from her face and held onto it. "Thank you for offering, though. Maybe I'll tell you, someday. But not right now."  
  
I stepped forward to hug her, and when I put my arms around her, I gave her a protective squeeze. She winced and pulled away, muttered good night, and went inside.  
  
And damn it, I still couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Nothing of any special interest happened over the next few weeks. And by that time, I realized that Sesshoumaru and Kagome's anniversary was coming up soon.  
  
So they had made it an entire year. And. . . I found I was happy for them.  
  
The day I realized that, this feeling spread over me. . . I felt really good. . . almost free. Kagome had such a hold over me for such a long time. Realizing that the hold was gone was very relieving.  
  
And I also discovered something else. It wasn't Kagome herself that had been bothering me all year. It was loneliness. I had been over Kagome by the time I started college. It was seeing what she had with Sesshoumaru. . . I wanted that.  
  
Well, maybe not EXACTLY that, but you know what I mean.  
  
A week before the party, on a Saturday, I was hanging out with April, as I usually did. I noticed that she seemed kind of sad. Not herself.  
  
"You doin' okay today?"  
  
She smiled softly, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm just tired."  
  
I looked her in the eyes. "You're always 'just tired.'"  
  
She swallowed. Then she shrugged.  
  
"I know!" I said. "Kagome and Sesshoumaru. . . their wedding anniversary is coming up in a week. Wanna come to the party? Will that cheer you up?" I asked with a grin.  
  
She smiled, her nose wrinkling cutely. "They wouldn't want *me* there."  
  
"Sure they would. I remember Sesshoumaru making some comment. . . about you being good with Rin. And trust me, that means a lot coming from him. He can be kind of protective of her, plus, she's a weird kid."  
  
"I didn't think she was a weird kid."  
  
"That's because you're weird, too."  
  
"Oh, yeah."  
  
I smiled. "So come with me."  
  
"Oh, well. . . all right."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
We arrived at Sango and Miroku's place promptly at seven, a week later. I brought Jeik, and Sango had told April to, 'by all means,' bring Ringo, but (according to April) he didn't feel like going anywhere that night. Go figure. Cats are weird.  
  
When the door opened, I thought it had opened by itself, for a moment. There was no one eye level with me, but then I heard, "Uncle InuYasha!!!"  
  
Something that felt like little arms hit my knees, and the next thing I knew, I had dropped poor Jeik, and stumbled back into the wall in the hallway. I patted Rin on the head. "Hey, Rin." I think I was starting to get used to her greetings, but they still surprised me.  
  
"April!" Rin squealed, latching onto April the moment she let go of me. April did the right thing and kneeled down so she was Rin's height, and held her arms out wide.  
  
I just raised an eyebrow and followed an assaulted-looking Jeik into the (ahem) penthouse. *Penthouse*, man. I still can't get over that. Jeik ran in and found Randie immediately, while I looked around for my own buddies.  
  
Miroku looked up from the kitchen bar when I walked in. "Hey, man!"  
  
We said our greetings, and I saw Kagome helping Sango in the kitchen. They waved, and I got a hug from them both. "Where's my brother?" I asked them as April joined us.  
  
Kagome smiled. "He went to get some-"she whispered the next word, throwing a glance at Rin, "-wine."  
  
"Oh. . . so the *real* party starts after bedtime, eh?"  
  
She laughed. "Yup!"  
  
I felt someone tug on my pants, then. Looking down, I saw Rin's round little face looking back up at me. "Hold me."  
  
"Aren't you a little too big for that?"  
  
"No. Daddy can hold me."  
  
You can't argue with that.  
  
I picked Rin up and held her on my hip. She was light; I had never really held a kid before, so I wouldn't have known, anyway. Guess all of the heavy box-lifting at work did some good.  
  
"Wow, you're really strong, aren't you, Uncle InuYasha?"  
  
I looked around and shared one of those aw-isn't-that-sweet smiles with all of the other adults in the room, finally turning my gaze back on Rin. "I'm strong enough to do. . . this!" I flipped her upside-down suddenly, and she squealed with delight, giggling excitedly. When I brought her back up, her face was flushed, and she was panting, but good grief, she said, "Do it again!"  
  
"Again?!"  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
I sighed, and shrugged. "If you insist." I gave her no warning, and flipped her over again.  
  
"What's going on?" came a good-natured baritone. "InuYasha - what are you doing to my kid?"  
  
I tuned around to see Sesshoumaru handing a paper bag (curiously shaped like a wine bottle) to Kagome. Still holding a giggling Rin by her middle, I said innocently, "Hey, she asked me to!"  
  
Rin kicked her feet, laughing. "Daddy! Lemme down!"  
  
I turned her back the right way and set her down gently. She took two seconds to get her bearings straight, then dashed over to Sesshoumaru. "Hi, Daddy. What's in the bag?"  
  
He smiled down at her. "You don't miss anything, do you?"  
  
She shook her head. "What's in there?"  
  
He pretended to think, glancing over at Kagome secretively. "Mmm. . . it's. . . a. . ."  
  
"Is it a fish?"  
  
"Well, no, not a fish-"  
  
"Is it a cat?"  
  
"No, it's not that, either-"  
  
"Then what is it?"  
  
"It's a surprise for you."  
  
"Ooh-"  
  
"But not for now. Later, after cake, okay?"  
  
"Okay!"  
  
He stepped to the side and muttered to me, "We gotta find her a surprise, now."  
  
I just smiled and shook my head. From her place at the bar beside Miroku, April yelped suddenly. All eyes turned to Miroku.  
  
"What?!" he protested, eyes wide. "I didn't do anything!"  
  
April laughed, a pretty, amused sound. "It was Randie! He licked my toe!"  
  
I caught the said culprit as he sauntered out from under the bar and held him up so we were nose to nose. "Hey, you!"  
  
He barked.  
  
"What are you doing, licking people's toes?!"  
  
He barked, and made another growling noise in reply.  
  
Sango laughed. "Hey, InuYasha can talk to dogs!"  
  
"Not surprising," Miroku said. "After all, his name is-"  
  
"I should throw this at you," I said, cutting him off, and picking a nice and pointy party hat up off the table with my free hand.  
  
Snickers filled the room.  
  
He shrugged innocently. "I was gonna say-"  
  
"Don't say it!"  
  
"-Dog demon!" he finished quickly, ducking behind April. I threw the hat anyway, and April dodged it. It whizzed by her and the tip of the hat whacked Miroku on the top of the head. "Ow!"  
  
"That's what you get!" Sango exclaimed, laughing at him.  
  
Smiling, April turned around in her stool to look at Miroku, who was rubbing the top of his head. "Thanks," he said sardonically.  
  
She smiled innocently and shrugged.  
  
Smirking, Kagome said, "Okay, you guys! Food! Table! Now!"  
  
No one needed any elaboration from her; we all found a seat around the large table, and sat down. Wine was poured (discreetly; we were able to fool Rin with ginger ale), and Miroku remained standing at his seat. "Since Sango did the honors for everyone at the wedding," he said to Sesshoumaru and Kagome, "I'll do them now. The honors, that is."  
  
I choked a laugh, and everyone else sniggered.  
  
"It's the least I can do in answer to the wonderful speech Kagome gave at my own wedding, anyway."  
  
"Hear, hear," Sango agreed quietly.  
  
"Now, let me see. . . what's a good toast? Ah, yes - Here's to love, the only fire against which there is no insurance."  
  
"Miroku!" Sango scolded. "Find something better than that!"  
  
He grinned. "All right, all right. . . Here's to matrimony. . . The high sea for which no compass has yet been invented."  
  
Sango rolled her eyes. "Miroku!"  
  
He laughed, and Kagome said, "Keep going 'till we find one we like, Miroku!"  
  
"Okay," he said, "I'm full of them." and thought for another moment.  
  
"All right, I have one: Here's to you and here's to me, Friends may we always be! But, if by chance we disagree, Up yours! Here's to me!" He took a sip of his wine, and I chuckled, and shook my head.  
  
Sango smacked his arm from her seat while everyone else laughed.  
  
"No?" he asked he asked her, laughing. "Okay, then. . . here's one:  
  
May we kiss whom we please, And. . ."He smirked, "please whom we kiss."  
  
"Oh, *please*," Sango rolled her eyes.  
  
"All right, all right, I've got it!" Miroku insisted.  
  
"Here's to those that love us, And here's to those that don't, A smile for those who are willing to, And. . . the finger for those who won't!"  
  
Sesshoumaru laughed. "Well, hell, I'll drink to that!"  
  
Kagome agreed, and we stood to clink our glasses.  
  
"Kanpai!" we all exclaimed, then returned to our seats, still smiling from the toast.  
  
"He changed it!" Sango was saying.  
  
"What was it supposed to be?" April asked. "'And a *tear* for those who won't.'"  
  
"I see why he changed it, then," April laughed. "Why would you cry for those who don't like you?"  
  
"Hear, hear!" Kagome agreed.  
  
"Yeah," Sango said, "Now you can see why I didn't let him make the speech at their wedding."  
  
"What?" Miroku asked with a grin. "The place would have been rolling."  
  
"*Exactly*," Sango replied.  
  
Dinner ensued nicely, Miroku and Sango bantering lightly over this and that mostly, while everyone else laughed and listened.  
  
I looked over at April several times during the meal. She seemed to be enjoying herself. I was proud of how well she fit in with everyone; she laughed openly, and commented regularly. I was happy to take her mind off of whatever had been bothering her lately.  
  
Soon, our food was finished, including the small cake that Miroku and Sango had bought for the party. When Rin was finished, she asked, "Daddy! Where's my surprise?"  
  
Sesshoumaru gave Kagome a look that said, "Help me."  
  
Sango got up and gave Sesshoumaru a pat on the shoulder, then went into the kitchen. When she returned, she had an ice cream cone.  
  
Rin's face lit up. "Wow, thank you!" She took the cone carefully, and sat back down in her seat, satisfied.  
  
I noticed Sesshoumaru mouth "Thank you," to Sango. She just smiled and shrugged.  
  
Then, I remembered something important that I had to do while I was there.  
  
"Presents!" I said.  
  
Everyone looked at me. "We weren't going to do gifts," Sango said.  
  
"Oh, I know," I said. Reaching into my back pocket. "It's only a little."  
  
I had wrapped Dad's pocket watch in a burgundy handkerchief, and tied it with a white string. Nervously, I got up and stood beside Sesshoumaru. He stood, as well, and looked down as I nervously handed the gift over.  
  
He looked at it curiously for a moment. Then he turned around and looked at Kagome. "Wanna help me, Wife?"  
  
She smiled. "Might as well." She stood up behind him, on her toes, and reached around to pull the end of the string so the bow came undone. Sesshoumaru unfolded the cloth around it, and his eyebrows drew together. "A pocket watch?"  
  
I nodded. "Open it; you'll see."  
  
He opened it, and read the inscription.  
  
Over his shoulder Kagome read as well, and gasped a little.  
  
"I-It was Dad's," I said to Sesshoumaru, trying to explain. "Your mother bought it for him, for his birthday, I think. Mom found it and gave it to me - sh-she wanted me to give it to you."  
  
Sesshoumaru's eyes unfocused a little. "I remember this. . . she showed it to me, before she gave it to him. . ."  
  
"Serendipity," Kagome commented.  
  
Sesshoumaru nodded slightly. He smiled a little, then did something I didn't expect. He hugged me. One of those big, brotherly hugs. "Arigato," he said in my ear. A moment passed, and I heard April exclaim, "Okay, you guys! Stop it or I'm gonna cry!"  
  
We laughed and pulled away, and he shook my hand, thanking me again.  
  
I think he liked the gift.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Hey, you guys! I'm SO SORRY for taking so long AGAIN! I love you guys! Don't go away! lol  
  
LIME-goodness in the next chap, and April's secret is revealed, so keep your eyes open!  
  
C ya!  
  
Honey Bee 


	9. The 'R' Word

Chapter 9 The 'R' Word  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~  
  
While Sango washed dishes, and Kagome stood beside her, talking, I kept noticing them steal glances at myself and April. Their heads were close together, and they talked excitedly. I wanted to roll my eyes. Gee whiz, what were they talking about?  
  
". . . that's what they think of anime in America, I think. Is that right, InuYasha?"  
  
I snapped to attention. "Nani?"  
  
Miroku repeated himself. "In America. They dismiss anime as 'just a cartoon,' and refuse to see into the story line."  
  
"Oh. Yeah. Yeah, they do. It's not very popular there. They mostly play it on the cartoon channels."  
  
I had no idea why or how Miroku, Sesshoumaru, and April had gotten into this discussion, but it was more than likely April who brought it up.  
  
I tried not to ignore the rest of the conversation, but I knew Sango and Kagome all too well. What had they been talking about so excitedly?  
  
"Do you have to get home any time soon?" Sesshoumaru was asking me.  
  
By that time, Kagome and Sango had joined us.  
  
I shrugged. "I have to go walk Jeik before it gets too late-"  
  
"They'll do it!!!" Kagome and Sango exclaimed suddenly, pushing their very confused husbands toward the door.  
  
"Kagome-"  
  
"Hey, what-"  
  
And the next thing I knew, Miroku and Sesshoumaru were out taking Randie and Jeik for a walk.  
  
I glared at the two wives. They looked back at me with the look only the most innocent angels would give you. Those two were no better than Lucy and Ethel.  
  
And, now that Rin had lost her playmates, she found April and tugged on her skirt. "April! April!" She yawned.  
  
April looked down at her. "Mmm, you're sleepy, aren't you?"  
  
Rin nodded. "Will you come play with me?"  
  
April smiled. "Sure - but isn't it your bedtime?"  
  
Kagome smiled. "Could you put her to bed, April?"  
  
"I'd be happy to!" April replied with her prettiest smile.  
  
"Come on!" Rin jumped once, to get April's attention.  
  
And soon, I was alone with Lucy and Ethel.  
  
They dragged me over to the couch immediately, and sandwiched me.  
  
"So?" Kagome asked.  
  
I glared at her. "I don't speak in 'Woman.' You're going to have to be a little more specific."  
  
She and Sango both rolled their eyes.  
  
"April!" Sango said. "Are you guys together?"  
  
"No!" I protested, shaking them off my arms. I tried to get up, but they pulled me back down and held on tight.  
  
"But you like her, don't you?" Kagome taunted.  
  
"No! Let me go!"  
  
"Yes, you do!!" Sango exclaimed.  
  
"I knew you two were up to something!" I growled. "Let me go!"  
  
"Are you going to ask her out?" Sango continued.  
  
"We're together every day!"  
  
"Ah! So that's how it goes!"  
  
"She lives right next to me!"  
  
"Ah the girl next door!"  
  
"It's not like that!"  
  
"Have you kissed her yet?" Sango asked.  
  
I stopped struggling. "That's none of your business!"  
  
That was the wrong thing to say. She and Kagome looked at one another and smiled. "He's kissed her!"  
  
"Kagome! Sango! Let me go!"  
  
Kagome gasped. "What if InuYasha likes her and she *doesn't know*?"  
  
Sango stopped giggling, and got one of those sympathetic girly looks on her face. "Awwwwwwwww!"  
  
I gave up and sat back. I knew I was brooding, but they wouldn't let me go!  
  
"Aw, InuYasha!" They both exclaimed, trying to hug me at the same time.  
  
"He's probably having trouble telling her how he feels!"  
  
"He was always like that."  
  
"We'll help you, InuYasha!"  
  
"I don't need your help!"  
  
"Then you already have something planned? That's great!"  
  
"Please, let me go!"  
  
I gave up again while they fawned over me and my "plans."  
  
And to my horror, April walked into the room at that moment.  
  
Everyone stopped. She looked from Sango, to me, to Kagome, then burst out laughing.  
  
I sneered. "What?"  
  
By this time, she was laughing so hard she had to hold onto the doorframe. "You-"she tried to talk between laughs, "That look on your face! Ha!" She was holding her side.  
  
Kagome and Sango started giggling, as well. "He does look cute when he glowers, doesn't he?" Kagome asked, tugging on my hair teasingly. I swatted her hand away and got up. I turned around and pointed a finger at them. "You two need help!"  
  
They laughed harder.  
  
I turned on my heel, and on the way, I grabbed April's wrist. "We're leaving!"  
  
"Um, okay! Bye!"  
  
She followed without a problem. I could hear Sango and Kagome's laughter as we got our coats. "Hope it goes well, Inu-kun!" Sango yelled.  
  
"Yeah! Good luck! Call us and let us know how it goes!" Kagome chortled.  
  
I opened the door and pushed April through it firmly. "Yeah, I'll call you!" I yelled back to them grudgingly.  
  
I don't know what they did after I left, but I suspect they fell off the couch, holding their sides in peals of laughter.  
  
Well, I hope one of them bruised something when they fell. That was embarrassing.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"What was that all about?!" April asked, chuckling as I pulled her down the hallway to the elevator.  
  
"Nothing," I grumbled as I pushed the down button and the doors slid open.  
  
"It's still early!" April protested.  
  
"I know, they're just giving me a hard time about something, that's all." I pulled her into the elevator, and she ended up tripping, and throwing her arms around my middle for support. I grabbed her around her shoulders instinctively. And we caught ourselves nose-to-nose.  
  
The laughter faded from her face as she looked up at me. All I could feel was her arms around me as I stared into her startling green eyes. I gulped, and April cleared her throat and straightened, laughing a little.  
  
She let go of me awkwardly, and stood at my side, blushing. That was okay. I was blushing, too.  
  
"We, uh, have to find Jeik," I said.  
  
"They probably took him to the park."  
  
"Yeah, we'll, look for them there."  
  
I swallowed again, and the elevator doors opened, letting us off on the first floor.  
  
I was relieved to be out of the small space, and out in public again. Because Kagome and Sango - damn them - had made me realize that they were right about my feelings for April.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
We found poor Sesshoumaru and Miroku in the park with the dogs. It was all right, because the park was only a block away, but I still hated that Kagome and Sango had kicked them out just for what they had done to me.  
  
I apologized and explained to them while April walked Jeik back to the park's entrance. They both raised an eyebrow and sighed. "We'll yell at them for you," Sesshoumaru said, giving me a parting pat on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey-"Miroku grinned, "-is what they said true?"  
  
"Oh, go home!" I snapped.  
  
He laughed and walked off with Sesshoumaru and Randie. I called the two husbands "Ricky and Fred," in my head, then joined April at the entrance.  
  
She smirked, holding Jeik up in her arms to nuzzle his fur with her cheek. "What?" I asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"*What*?"  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
She laughed turned around to began walking in the direction of home, letting Jeik down as I caught up to her.  
  
We walked in silence for a few moments, my confusion still prominent.  
  
"You're just cute when you're annoyed," she explained finally.  
  
This wiped the sneer right off of my face. I didn't say anything, but blushed and looked at the ground, and shoved my hands into my coat pockets.  
  
April walked beside me quietly, her eyes on Jeik. I looked up to see her smiling to herself a little. I studied her face by the street lamps and shop windows we passed. Her skin looked soft, and it glowed. Her lips were shiny, probably with some sort of lipstick. A piece of fair hair fell in her eye from her ponytail, and she tucked it back into place.  
  
She wasn't the sort of beauty that you got tired of or used to seeing, like the models on the fronts of magazines. There was so much personality behind her features, so much humor and originality, that, without it, she'd be just another pretty face.  
  
But with it, she was beautiful.  
  
I was annoyed again, because now I didn't know what to say. I glowered at the ground, wondering what she would do if I just kissed her suddenly. Would it make her mad? What if it ruined our friendship completely?  
  
That's the last thing I wanted. But, she let me kiss her before, and never said anything about it. So what did that mean? Did she want me to do it again, or not?!  
  
I sighed, frustrated, and kicked at a stray piece of newspaper.  
  
"You okay?" she asked.  
  
"Yeah," I muttered.  
  
I looked up, and realized that we were already at our building.  
  
I tried not to think of our ride up the elevator as awkward. Really, I did. But those elevators were small. We weren't touching, but I could feel her right next to me, the way you feel the static coming off of the TV screen and it prickles at your skin. I could also just barely hear her breathing, under Jeik's panting. He sat in front of the doors, his ears perked, waiting for them to slide open. It felt like forever passed, and finally Jeik yipped, and we stepped out into the hallway.  
  
I walked April to her door, and stood in front of her, unconsciously biting my lip. I couldn't look her in the eye, and when I did, I couldn't look for long. My feelings for her were on my conscience, now.  
  
She looked down at her hands, and cleared her throat. "Thanks for inviting me to the party." She looked into my eyes honestly. "I had a great time. They're really wonderful people."  
  
I nodded in agreement, and forgot to smile.  
  
"You okay?"  
  
"Yeah," I said, forcing the forgotten smile. Better late than never.  
  
She smiled a little in return. "I wanted to tell you," she said suddenly, excitedly.  
  
"Yeah?" I said, stepping forward without thinking.  
  
She blushed. "I think the watch you gave to Sesshoumaru was a really sweet gift."  
  
I blushed, and shrugged. "It was Mom's idea."  
  
'Don't tell her that, baka!' I whacked myself mentally.  
  
She smiled and laughed a little. That little piece of hair fell down into her eye again, and, hesitantly, I reached up to brush it back in place.  
  
She looked up at me, her eyes wide. She wrung her hands nervously, and I watched as she worked one palm over the fingers of the other hand. I reached out and grabbed both of her hands in mine, stopping her. I stared at her soft hands clasped in my large, clumsy ones, and swallowed.  
  
My eyes widened as I heard Sango's voice in my head suddenly. 'Alright, you've gotten this far. What's your next move, InuYasha?'  
  
'I don't know,' the voice in my head answered back.  
  
Then I heard Rin's voice. 'Kiss her!!!'  
  
Can't ignore a request from Rin.  
  
Trusting myself to act as smoothly as possible, I let go of her hands, and brought my own up to her soft face. I stared down at her lips, my ultimate target. I swallowed, and brought her face close to mine, and when our lips touched, I closed my eyes, and just felt her.  
  
I rubbed my thumbs over her cheeks, and she responded by parting her lips. I felt her hands grasp mine, then reach out around my neck, to pull me closer.  
  
I could then hear Miroku, Sango, Kagome, and Rin all cheering in my head. 'SCORE ONE FOR THE DOG DEMON!!!!!!'  
  
I felt like cheering with them, but reminded myself to do it later. I was busy.  
  
I don't want to go all soft and romantic like some stupid movie, but I guess those old black-and-whites have rubbed off on me. April's touch made my stomach quake, and my legs almost gave out under me. I needed to kiss her while I was sitting, I decided. What was soft and comfortable, that you could sit on while kissing someone?  
  
'A bed,' replied Miroku's voice in my head.  
  
Of course. A bed. Ask Miroku, he'll know.  
  
The effect of kissing April was like getting a buzz from too much wine. My head got all unfocused, and the next thing I knew, I was reaching out blindly behind her for her doorknob, trying not to break the kiss as I did so. It only made the kiss grow deeper, and my mind even more unfocused. "Key!" I breathed when I finally realized why the door wasn't opening like it was supposed to.  
  
Breaking the kiss for a split second to pat her pockets, April produced a key, and latched onto me again. I'm not complaining, but have you ever tried to unlock a door and kiss someone at the same time? It's hard.  
  
When I somehow miraculously got the door open, I started to back April into her darkened apartment, but she stopped. "Jeik!" she whispered.  
  
"Dammit!" I growled softly.  
  
Don't get me wrong. I love my dog a lot. But at that moment, I was really hating his cute little tail.  
  
I let go of her reluctantly, unlocked my door with lightening speed, put Jeik in his bed, gave him a good pat on his head, and told him goodnight. He whimpered a little, but didn't protest. There was a scratching noise at the window above my bed, and I turned around to see Ringo pawing at the glass.  
  
I smirked. So April was getting rid of Ringo.  
  
I opened my window, and let him in, then made sure he was curled up nice and tight somewhere. Trying not to laugh out loud from pure happiness, I ran out of my apartment and locked it quickly. I reached April's open door, and suddenly, and soft hand grabbed my shirt collar and pulled me inside, the door slamming shut behind me with a satisfying bang as my lips touched hers again.  
  
We tried to make our way through the dark without breaking our kiss, but that's just hard. We kept bumping into things, and laughing out loud like kids.  
  
Her arms continuously slid around my neck to pull me down to her, closer, until I thought we'd fuse together. We fell suddenly, and I realized we had made it in one piece to the bed. It caught us both, and I followed April as she scooted backwards to the headboard. I opened my eyes just long enough to see her fumbling with the buttons of her blouse, and when I sat back on my knees in front of her, I reached out to help her. I slid each button out of their holes carefully, but quickly.  
  
I didn't even have to use my eyes to see her body. I could feel it, soft and curvy under my fingers, over her satin bra, and I finally pushed her blouse completely off of her shoulders.  
  
Our lips were still latched together, as I felt her hands hastily try to yank my jacket off of my shoulders. I helped her, and when it was off, she threw it to the side somewhere. It hit something, because there was a loud clatter, but I hardly noticed, because she was now trying to yank my shirt over my head. When that was off, I reached up to pull at the elastic band that held all of her silky locks up.  
  
"Don't," she breathed, knocking my hand away.  
  
I hadn't really heard what she said, and figured her swatting my hand away to be a mishap. So, I tried again, quicker this time. My fingers were itching to be ran through all of that soft hair - I had to do it, or I would explode. I pulled it out, and when April felt all of that hair reach her shoulders, she gasped.  
  
The next thing I knew, she was pushing me away, and grabbing for her hair band. She got up from the bed and ran into the bathroom before I could register what was going on.  
  
"April? April?!" I was worried. Why would taking down her hair cause her to react like that? "April?"  
  
I knocked softly on the bathroom door, and could hear her sniffling on the other side. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"  
  
She was leaning up against the other side of the door, and when she spoke, her voice was thick. "I-I think you should go back to your place, InuYasha."  
  
I leaned up against the door, and pressed my forehead again the cool white wood. "Why?" I asked, noticing that I didn't even have to try to keep my voice soft.  
  
"I-I'm sorry. I can't do this tonight. I need to be alone, now."  
  
At that moment, something broke free inside of me. All of the worry that I'd felt for her, the sadness, the irritation, all came running thickly out of some place inside of me, and I nearly sobbed. "April. Please. . . tell me what's wrong." My body was shaking. . . I hadn't cried since Dad died. I continued to pour my feelings out to her. "I worry about you everyday. . . I care about you so much. I just wish you would tell me what's wrong so I know what to do, how to act. . . Wh-When I came here, back from America, I was pretty low. I had no job, no money, no *life.* I couldn't sleep, and I hardly ate. I didn't know what was wrong with me then, but I realize now that I was lonely. After I met you, and we became friends, I started sleeping again. At first it was only a few hours, but those few hours have grown into whole nights. Only you could do that for me. That's what I'm trying to tell you. You're important to me. You make me happy, and I just want you to be happy in return. But I don't know how to help you if you won't tell me what's haunting you!"  
  
She was so quiet.  
  
After a moment, I heard shuffling, and then I felt the door move under me. I stood straight, and as soon as the door opened, there was April, crying. "Oh, god!" she whispered, and threw her arms around me. "InuYasha! I didn't know!"  
  
I smiled sadly. "Yes, you did. You just weren't sure."  
  
"No, I had no idea." She sniffled.  
  
"You're smarter than that," I said, wrapping her tighter into my embrace.  
  
She stepped back, and smiled a little. I wiped her cheeks dry, and she closed her eyes, and leaned her forehead against mine. She sniffled again, and almost started crying once more. I kissed her lips lightly, but it didn't help. She hugged me to her again, and buried her hot face into my neck. I heard her laugh a little, and when she spoke, her voice was muffled. "You smell good."  
  
I chuckled. "Thanks."  
  
"And you have a red mark on your forehead from the door," she said, barely controlling her laughter.  
  
I laughed outright, something I hadn't done in a long time. She stepped back, and when I saw her face, it was the strangest thing; she was crying and laughing at the same time. She reached up to touch my forehead, and we laughed again.  
  
"It'll go away," I said softly.  
  
"Yeah," she whispered, her voice quivering.  
  
I took her hand and pulled her back to the bed. I knew she wasn't done crying, and from living with Sango, I learned that girls hate for people to see them cry. Something about how her face would get all red and blotchy, I reminded myself.  
  
So I laid April down carefully, and wrapped my arms around her, so she could lean her head on my shoulder.  
  
"Thanks for putting up with me," she joked.  
  
"My pleasure," I replied with a smirk.  
  
"I'm sure!" she joked again, laughing.  
  
A quiet moment passed, and I knew it was time. "You gonna tell me what's been bothering you, now?"  
  
She nodded against my shoulder, sniffling. "Yeah."  
  
"I'm listening. We've got all night."  
  
She took a deep breath, and began.  
  
"A year ago, around this time, I was living with my sisters - May and June - a few blocks from here."  
  
"You have another sister named June?"  
  
"Yeah. She's my younger sister. I call her June-bug."  
  
I smiled. "I'm sorry. Keep going."  
  
"It's all right. Anyway, I was trying to open up a restaurant downtown. Everything was going really well. We were a long way from the opening, but nothing was going wrong. I had this b-boyfriend. I-I don't want to say his name. . ."  
  
I smoothed her hair down. "It's okay. You don't have to."  
  
"Okay. I had this boyfriend, who I thought was 'the one.'" She laughed bitterly. "I'm not a naïve person by a long shot. But he used to shower me with compliments, smooth ones. He had a way of flattering me that made me think about him everyday, although I never let anyone know that. After a while, though, all of those compliments stopped, once he got what he wanted from me. And soon, I found that I was letting him control me. And he wasn't controlling the way I thought, but the way I did things. It's. . . hard to explain. But May and June begged me to please dump him and focus on the restaurant. So I did. I wanted to show him that he didn't have any power over me. The night I broke up with him, May and June had a double-date. I was a-alone, in our apartment."  
  
She paused. And I didn't like what I was hearing.  
  
I smoothed her hair down, and ran my fingertips down the soft skin of her arm. She shivered a little, and snuggled in closer to me, wrapping her arms tighter around my middle.  
  
She continued. "After I broke up with h-him, on the phone, he was angry. No, not angry. V-Violent."  
  
I could feel some of my own anger begin to burn into my cheeks, but held out, and prepared myself for whatever I was about to hear.  
  
"About a half hour after I hung up, the doorbell rang. So, naturally, I answered it. And there he was. Begging me. 'Please,' he said. 'I need you. You're beautiful. You're m-mine.' I said, 'Whatever,' and tried to slam the door in his face, but he was strong. He got inside, and he. . . was mad. And I-I think you can guess the rest."  
  
"The 'R' word?" I asked, knowing she would understand.  
  
She sniffled. "Yeah."  
  
Rape.  
  
I closed my eyes, and tried to get the image of Mitsuko shoved up against that wall, Hetan standing over her like the sicko he was, out of my head. And April. I didn't want them, but images of her struggling kept flashing through my mind. Images of her helpless moments, when no one was there to save her. It made me hug her closer to me, protectively.  
  
"Before he - you know. . ." she said then.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"He made me take down my hair. God, he marveled in it, like it was. . . I don't know. He was crazy. I'm sorry about how I reacted earlier, but it just. . . made me think of that."  
  
"It's perfectly fine," I said quickly. "I understand, now. Don't worry about it."  
  
She sniffled again and buried her face into my neck. She had calmed now, and I only felt her tense up every now and then.  
  
"You're the first guy I've hung out with. . . or kissed. . . in a long time. I've been too afraid. And too busy. Getting myself back. What happened devastated me. . . it devastated everything I had worked for. I had to go to therapy. The doctor suggested that I move out so, I did, and found this place."  
  
I leaned my head back to look at her. "I'm glad you found this place."  
  
She smiled. "Me, too."  
  
"And I didn't know you before, but I'd say you've done a wonderful job of getting yourself back. I feel better the minute you walk into the room. You're presence is so strong," I whispered timidly.  
  
She looked away shyly. "Thank you."  
  
"I've never told anyone anything like that," I said lightly.  
  
"There's a first time for everything."  
  
"Right you are."  
  
She laughed. "Thank you for making me tell you all of that. I feel so much better. It was killing me, hiding it from you. But it's not something that you even contemplate telling someone."  
  
I nodded. "I know. I was just worried about you. That night you cried in your sleep."  
  
"I was dreaming about it."  
  
"Yeah. And your losing sleep."  
  
"Dreams again."  
  
"And then. . . that day I hugged you, and squeezed you too tight."  
  
She nodded. "He picked me up that way. It hurt. I couldn't br-"  
  
I placed my fingers over her lips. "Shh. Don't talk about it anymore. I hate. . . hearing about things like that."  
  
"I know you do. I'm sorry."  
  
I kissed her lips, and let it last for a moment before I pulled away.  
  
"I'm sorry you didn't get any tonight," April said. I could almost hear her smirking, but I couldn't tell in the dark.  
  
I cleared my throat, and she laughed, reaching up to run her fingers through my hair playfully. It felt good, and I closed my eyes.  
  
We whispered little things to each other, some jokes, some meaningless chatter. But it was one of the best nights of my life.  
  
She was so sweet. We both fell asleep by the time morning rolled around, and slept in each other's arms for a good twelve hours.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
YES!!!!!!!!!!  
  
It finally happened! . . . kind of. . .  
  
Anyway, what do you guys think? Is it going good, bad, too predictable? I hope not. For the "bad" and "too predictable" parts, anyway. ^_~  
  
Hope it's getting good!  
  
C ya!  
  
Honey Bee 


	10. Hot Sex

Chapter 10 Hot Sex  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I woke up to something warm and wet rubbing against my face.  
  
Now, I knew that was strange, because nothing like that had ever happened to me before.  
  
There was a muffled giggle, and I opened an eye.  
  
On the edge of the bed sat April, fully dressed for the weekend, holding Jeik up to my face as he tried to lick me awake. I screwed my face up, and she giggled. "Ohayo gozaimasu."  
  
"Ohayo." I smiled, and sat up. "What are you doing?"  
  
"Effectively waking you up."  
  
I wiped at the wet spot on my cheek, and nodded. "Effectively."  
  
She giggled evilly, then kissed me on the cheek. "Go brush your teeth, and stuff, and I'll fix breakfast."  
  
When I returned, April had done as promised, and fixed eggs and toast. It was strange to eat American-style food in Tokyo, when the only place I had ever eaten it in was America. It kind of took me back.  
  
Jeik wandered up to me and whimpered as I walked into the small kitchen. I kneeled down and gave him a good pat on his head, and he licked my hand in return. "Sorry about last night, buddy," I whispered to him. "I kind of kicked you out, didn't I?"  
  
He barked, and ran over to his food bowl as I stood up. I walked up to April, who was pouring us both orange juice, and put a hand on her lower back.  
  
She leaned into me, and sighed, setting the jug down. She was quiet as she turned to me and smiled, wrapping her arms around my middle to hug me. I set my chin on the top of her head, and looked out of the tiny window above the stove.  
  
I smoothed her hair when she didn't move, and kissed her hairline. She responded by hugging me tighter, and sighing.  
  
"Are you okay?" I asked her.  
  
"I'm just happy," came her muffled reply.  
  
I got this warm feeling in my chest. I made her happy? I wanted to laugh, or cry, or something. Just knowing I made her happy had given me the best feeling in the world. So, I tipped her chin up and kissed her.  
  
"Good," I said when I pulled away.  
  
She smiled. "Go sit before your food gets cold."  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
"What should we do today?" April asked.  
  
I hadn't the slightest clue. I took a sip of my orange juice. "You wanna. . . go somewhere?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"I dunno. . . hey. . . why don't we find an empty highway, and just cruise to some loud music with the windows open, and the wind blowing through our hair-"  
  
"Tough luck."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"An empty highway? There aren't any."  
  
April's face fell, and a look of determination settled on her features. "Well, there has to be *something* we can do. This city isn't exactly empty."  
  
I smirked to myself. I could think of plenty of things for us to do. . . that didn't even require leaving the apartment. . .  
  
Then, I mentally punched myself, and immediately felt extremely bad for thinking something like that. April had been *raped*, and still wasn't over it. I wasn't even sure how she was able to get as far as she had the night before. I wondered if asking her about it would cause any tension.  
  
"You're quiet," she said then, scooping some scrambled eggs onto her fork.  
  
I looked up at her, and leapt. "Last night. . ." I started.  
  
"Yeah?" she asked with a mixed look of amusement and sadness.  
  
I bit my lip. "You seemed so comfortable with me. . . you know. . ."  
  
"I don't get you."  
  
"Well, you were. . . you know. Raped." I felt bad even whispering the last word around her. "How were you so comfortable? With going as far as you did?"  
  
Her features softened, and she blushed a little. "Rape and. . . hot sex are two totally different things. Fortunately, I've recently learned to separate the two." She reached out to grip my hand, then held it in her own, turning it over and running her fingertips over the insides of my fingers, making me shiver. "I'm not afraid of you," she continued. "I know you would never hurt me, and I don't want to compare you to h-him. That's why I got so upset last night when you took my hair down. I had c-compared you to something he did, and I felt bad, and the memories. . . well, you know."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"It's been a year," she said, still running her fingertips over my hand. "And I've never been someone who lets things bother me for long. In the waking hours, anyway," she smiled. "It's just. . . the dreams. And sometimes, like last night, I have flashbacks. I had one at work one day, and that's how Mikey found out about it. He's been protective of me ever since. As long as you're around, and him. . . I never think about it. I'm ready to have a relationship again. The only time everything doesn't seem like a dream is when I'm asleep." She kissed my hand, and I frowned a little, pondering over her last comment.  
  
"Everything as in. . . what happened?" She nodded. "I've been doing well," she told me. "My therapist says so." She smiled proudly, then frowned. "That just made me sound crazy."  
  
"You *are*," I teased, laughing.  
  
She bit my finger.  
  
"Ow!"  
  
Then giggling, she started to sing an old song I recognized, teasingly, "'You may be right, I may be crazy, but it just might be a lunatic you're lookin' for!'" She laughed out loud as I blushed, and tried to keep a straight face, but failed.  
  
I rolled my eyes, and she giggled. Soon, I smiled, as well, and turned shy. I wanted to kiss her, or something, but it seemed more awkward when you were finally out in the open, and in the daylight, for that matter. When we were in a dark bedroom, pulling her close seemed easier.  
  
I decided it wasn't the right time, and finished my breakfast, instead.  
  
Ringo wandered in out of nowhere, as usual. He flicked his tail impatiently, for attention.  
  
"He's gotten bigger," I commented.  
  
April nodded. "A little."  
  
"Hey, neko," I said to him, scratching him between his ears. He mewed in reply, and turned to April for attention.  
  
Jeik romped over then, and, setting his front paws on Ringo's back from behind, knocked the cat over. Unperturbed, Ringo just rolled with him, and batted at the pup's nose playfully, bearing his little fangs.  
  
April smiled. "They get along so well."  
  
I didn't say anything, just nodded, watching the animals.  
  
'Hot sex,' I thought suddenly. It had just hit my sad, slow little brain. April had said, "hot sex." *Hot* sex. I rubbed my chin thoughtfully. The night before *had* been hot. It made me happy to know April had thought so, too.  
  
Too bad we hadn't got to finish.  
  
I frowned.  
  
"Earth to InuYasha!"  
  
I looked up. "Nani?"  
  
"Where'd you go?" April asked, amused.  
  
I shrugged. Then the phone rang.  
  
April got up, and ran to the phone like a kid. I laughed, and shook my head. Some things about her were just so-  
  
"Hello? . . . June-bug!!!! . . . You are? Yes!!! . . . Okay! Bye!" April squealed, and hung up.  
  
"Your sister?" I asked.  
  
"Yup! She's coming over!" April picked Ringo up off the floor and sauntered out of the kitchen. "Got to clean the place up, the living room's a mess. Oh, and the lamp in the bedroom is still on the floor from last night," she called out to me.  
  
"The lamp?" I asked.  
  
"Yeah," she replied, bending over to pick a shirt up off the floor, her long ponytail sliding to hang to the ground. "That's what I hit when I threw your jacket." When she stood back up, her face was red, but I couldn't tell if it was from bending over, or the topic of discussion. I blushed myself, and got up to clean the kitchen.  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
When the doorbell rang about thirty minutes later, April smiled excitedly, and opened the door to reveal a the cutest little Hispanic girl I had ever seen. She was very short, only about '5"2, and her eyes lit up when she saw April, and gave a brilliant smile. "Hey!"  
  
April pulled her sister into an immediate hug. "June-bug!!!! Come in!"  
  
June walked in and looked around, an I got the impression that she was seeing April's apartment for the first time. Her eyes searched the room, and when they found me, standing awkwardly with an almost-friendly smile (hey, I try), I waved. Her eyes widened a little, and she smiled, her nose wrinkling. "Hi." She turned to April. "Who's *that*?"  
  
April smiled and blushed, as if she and June shared a secret joke. "June, this is InuYasha. He lives next door."  
  
June smiled at me again, and April pushed us over to the couch. "Go sit! Want tea?"  
  
I shrugged, June nodded, and April went to the stove.  
  
"So how have you been? You know, with. . ." June's voice faded hesitantly, and she glanced over at me.  
  
"Oh, it's okay! He knows," April replied.  
  
"Oh, okay!" June leaned back, relieved. "I wasn't sure. I didn't wanna, you know. . ."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"I've been fine!" April said to her, still clanging around at the stove. "With InuYasha here, and Mikey at work, everything's been great!"  
  
"What about your dreams?"  
  
I watched as April's jubilant pace slowed a little, so I decided to speak for her. "She's been having a few rough nights, but things are getting better."  
  
June bit her lip. "Well. . . At least things are getting better!" she concluded brightly.  
  
April looked over at us and nodded in agreement. When she finished she sat down on the couch beside her sister and hung an arm around her shoulders, squeezing her to her side. "I've missed you!"  
  
"I missed you, too," June replied.  
  
I leaned forward, and spoke in English. "You two don't look like sisters."  
  
"June's adopted!" April explained. "But we never fully realized that until we were about thirteen! It took May and I a while to figure out she was a different nationality altogether!"  
  
"Our parents adopted me when we were still babies, so it's never really felt like I was adopted at all," June said. "Dad wanted to have another kid, but Mom was so busy, she couldn't have one without it interrupting her work. So, they just decided to adopt." She shrugged.  
  
"I'm glad they did!" April exclaimed, hugging June to her again.  
  
"What is your nationality?" I asked June.  
  
"They told me I'm Belizean. My biological mother was from Belize, and my father was Middle-Eastern."  
  
"But then people say she looks Hawaiian," April cut in flatly.  
  
June laughed. "But Hispanic people don't think so!" She turned to me with humor on her features. "One time, I was in a mall, and this Hispanic guy walks up to me and starts speaking Spanish! I didn't know what to do, 'cause I don't know *any* Spanish. It was funny, but it was kind of embarrassing!" April laughed. "She can speak Japanese, but she can't speak Spanish. And she's Hispanic!"  
  
June laughed, as well. "Stop it! Spanish was boring in school. They don't teach you anything."  
  
They grew quiet, and June looked around. "So, this is your new place. It's nice."  
  
"Yeah. It's alright for one person. Oh! And -"April looked around, her eyebrows furrowed. She looked up at me. "Where'd they go?"  
  
"Eh? Oh! I don't know. They might be in your room."  
  
"I'll go check. Be right back!" April got up and went in her room. June gave me a confused look, and in no time, April returned with both Ringo and Jeik under both arms. June's face lit up. "Aww! They're so cute!"  
  
April stopped in front of June. "This is Ringo, he's mine," she said, depositing the cat onto June's lap. "And this is Jeik! He's InuYasha's!" She deposited the pup, as well.  
  
June fawned over them, laughing when Jeik tried to lick her mouth. "EW!" she giggled. "Dog breath!"  
  
It made me smile, the way she and April giggled like school girls. They seemed so close, and I almost envied their sisterly relationship, wishing that I had always had that brotherly connection with Sesshoumaru. Without the giggling, anyway.  
  
April was lucky.  
  
Jeik leaped off of June's lap then, and sauntered over to me, and I picked him up to scratch him behind his ears.  
  
Ringo was curling up on the back of the couch when June asked April, "Have you heard from May?"  
  
April smirked. "The last I heard, InuYasha said his buddy asked her out on a date. I haven't heard from her, so I guess that means she's, uh, *busy*." April winked.  
  
"Ohhhh. Busy." June replied knowingly. Then, she added flatly, giving a special look at April and myself, "Everyone's busy but me!"  
  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Later, after June left, April and I were on the couch, her legs thrown on my lap comfortably. She was sucking on a cherry lollipop, and intently watching the movie with wide eyes. I liked to watch her watch the movie. Her facial expressions were so funny. When the character was sad, she looked sad. When they were happy, she would smile. When they were scared, she looked the same. I wondered if she was even aware she did this. And then I wondered if I did it, as well, unknowingly. I had acted for three years, after all. . .  
  
Anyway, the phone rang. And then, as if she had been waiting for it, April jumped up off the couch and exclaimed, "I'll get it!"  
  
I stayed where I was, but could still hear her voice over the movie.  
  
"Moshi moshi! Well, hi! It's been a while! Yeah! June came by today. Uh- huh. How have you guys been? That's good to hear." She was silent for a moment, listening. "News? Tell me!" She grew quiet again, for longer this time. Then, softly, I heard her say, "You're yankin' my chain. No. . . *no*!" She squealed loudly, alarming me. I stood up and came to her side quickly while she laughed happily. "Oh my *god*! I can't *believe* this! *Wow*! So *soon*?" She squealed again. "Okay! Yeah, I'll tell her! When did you guys decide this, anyway? Wow! Okay! Okay! I love you, too! Bye!"  
  
She hung up, and sighed, staring at the phone. I tapped her shoulder, and she turned to me with a brilliant smile.  
  
"What is it?" I asked anxiously.  
  
April seemed to be trying to get the words out, but was to happy to make a sound. She just squealed again and jumped up, throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her waist, and asked again, laughing, "What is it, April?! Tell me!"  
  
She set herself back on her feet and looked up at me, green eyes excited. "May's getting married!!!"  
  
My eyes widened. "To who?!"  
  
"Kouga!"  
  
"You're kidding me!"  
  
"Nope! They're gettin' hitched tonight! We *have* to go! Kouga insists that you come!"  
  
"Of course!" I exclaimed, still surprised. "When did they decide this?"  
  
"Just now!"  
  
This was definitely news. Kouga and May getting married already? It had only been a little over a month since they had met at the bar. Man, Kouga was one of those guys that fell hard and fast. I prayed the marriage would work out for them.  
  
"We have to get ready!" April was saying. She turned away quickly, then pivoted back. "I have to call June!"  
  
I laughed as she quickly dialed June's number.  
  
"Hey, June-bug! You doin' anything tonight? Good. You're not gonna believe this. Do you remember how I told you May was seeing a friend of InuYasha's, Kouga? Well, they're gettin' hitched! No, not Kouga and InuYasha! Kouga and May!" April was laughing hard. "Get ready, we'll pick you up! Yeah, it's tonight! Oh, it won't be anything fancy, just wear something nice, like a  
skirt. Okay! We'll be there in two hours! Bye!"  
~ ~ ~ ~ ~  
  
Three hours later, we were at the chapel. We found out that we would have to wait in the waiting room for an hour or so, until another wedding was finished. In the meantime, May, April, and June were all standing in a circle together, laughing and giggling excitedly. I stood beside Kouga, who was looking very smug. I just smirked at the three sisters, who were near tears.  
  
"I wish Mom and Dad were here!" June was saying, her voice breaking with tears.  
  
"Stop that!" April scolded. "You'll make May's mascara run!"  
  
That seemed to do the trick, and they all laughed. May was looking very different from the girl I had met in the bar; she had her hair pulled back sleekly in one of those French twists, and was wearing a simple white dress. Her bouquet was a small bundle of daisies Kouga had picked up on their way over.  
  
"I love Mom and Dad," May was saying, "but I couldn't wait! I'm just glad you guys are here!" She tried to hug both of her sisters at the same time.  
  
Then, April pulled back. "I have an idea!"  
  
"What?" everyone questioned.  
  
"Does anyone have a cell phone?"  
  
"I do," June said, reaching into a tiny purse to retrieve a small silver phone. "You want to call Mom and Dad?"  
  
"Yeah! Shouldn't we?"  
  
"Of course!" May exclaimed, snatching the phone from June. In seconds, she was being connected to America.  
  
"This is gonna cost you," April was saying to June.  
  
June shrugged nonchalantly. "She can just pay me back."  
  
April sniggered.  
  
"Hello? Mom? Hi!!! Get Dad on the other phone, I have some news for you guys!" She was quiet, listening. "Hey, Daddy! Okay. . . I'm getting married!" May made a face quickly and held the phone away from her ear, as if expecting her parents to have an outburst. When she didn't hear anything harmful to her eardrums, she put the phone back to her hear. "Hello? So. . . what do you guys think?" She was quiet for a split second, then burst out laughing. We all sent her questioning gazes, and she covered the mouthpiece and smiled. "They said, 'it's about time!'"  
  
Relieved, we all laughed, then grew quiet once again and listened to the rest of the call.  
  
"Um. . . right now. Yeah, in about thirty minutes." May looked guilty as she listened. "I know. . . I couldn't wait! I'm sorry!" She grew quiet. "No! That would cost June too much!" She listened, then looked over at June. She handed to tiny phone over to her, and June put it to her ear. "Hey! Yeah? Um, I guess. . . Well, no, May and Kouga can just pay me back." June smirked at May. "That'll be fine. Yeah, you guys want to talk to April? Here-"she handed the phone to April.  
  
April took the phone. "Mom? Dad? Hi!" Her eyes filled with tears, and she looked like she was about to cry. I went to her side immediately, and put an arm around her shoulders while she talked. "Hi!" She wiped more tears away.  
  
I looked over at May, who whispered to me, "She hasn't talked to them since. . ." Not sure if I knew, May looked over a June.  
  
"He knows!" June assured her.  
  
"Oh, okay!" May continued. "They haven't talked since everything happened. A year!"  
  
"Why'd she wait so long?" I whispered back.  
  
"It was too expensive," June explained. "She lost what little money she was making when she shut the restaurant down, and she couldn't pay for the long distance."  
  
I hugged April to me tighter, and she was already laughing with her parents about something. "Yeah," she as saying. "I know! I've been fine, you guys. Yeah. Things have been great." She laughed again. "We're all wonderful! Actually, um, I've met someone, too. No, I'm not getting married, too!" she giggled. "He's great. He's been there for me." she looked up at me, smiling. "Yeah," she continued. "He's right here. Uh-huh. Hey, you guys probably want to talk to Kouga, huh?" She waited for a moment, then laughed again. "That's too bad," she said. "He doesn't speak English!" She laughed harder. "He's lucky, I know!"  
  
"What are they saying?" Kouga whispered to me.  
  
I laughed. "They're just catching up."  
  
"And her father? Does he approve?"  
  
I nodded, and Kouga looked relieved, as some tension went out of his shoulders, and he exhaled.  
  
Soon, we were all in the chapel, April whispering into the phone quietly what was happening during the ceremony. Later, when May and Kouga had officially tied the knot, we all went out for beer and ice cream.  
  
May and Kouga agreed that it was the happiest night of their lives.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~  
  
*excited squeal*  
  
I know! It's so great! They got married!  
  
I'm sure you've all been crossing your arms over your chests and tapping your feet impatiently. I've been a bad girl, I know. Haven't updated in over a week! Bad Honey Bee! *Honey Bee smacks herself*  
  
Ouch.  
  
Anyway, I'll try no to let the next update take so long.  
  
And the song that April was singing was "You May Be Right." I think it's by the Eagles, but I'm not entirely sure. Anyway, it's not like their agents are reading this anyway, right?  
  
Right?  
  
Okay, better go! The Swan is about to come on! Sayonara!  
  
C ya!  
  
Honey Bee 


	11. She Flinched

BEFORE YOU READ: I need to let you guys know; this new QuickEdit thing on FFn is a complete joke. All of the quotation marks have been turned into question marks, and I just can't fix it. I had a letter I wanted to post for those of you who aren't on my mailing list; it was an apology for taking so long to update. Everything's in order, now, but I can't promise you neat format, anymore, with this program. If you want a less confusing version of ASBMF to read, go to Animespiral.com, and you can find it there, as well. (Actually, I reccommend you do that, instead of reading it here). I am under the same pen name there. Sorry for the screwed up format; I'll see what I can do. For now, I hope you enjoy this next chapter - and look forward to the next. Gomen and Arigato. ---Honey Bee  
  
Chapter 11 She Flinched  
  
It was two weeks later, when April and I were doing our usual movie night, that she got a phone call.  
  
?Moshi moshi! Oh, konnichiwa, Miroku-san! Yeah. You? That?s good. Oh, InuYasha?s over, we?re just watching a movie.? she cupped her hand over the mouth piece and said to me, ?Miroku says hi!? I nodded and told her to reply. ?He says hi back! Tomorrow night? Nothing. They are? Oooooh! Ritzy! I didn?t know the TAA had enough money to put up something like that! Coolio! Oh, yeah, we?ll be there! A dress? I?ll find something. That?s okay, I haven?t been keeping up with the TAA lately, anyway. The late nights at the diner, you know. . . yeah. . .?  
  
They continued to chatter while I continued to wonder what the heck was going on. I was patient until they were done socializing, and when she hung up, I asked, ?What was Miroku calling you about??  
  
?The TAA is having a Banquet tomorrow night, and Miroku wanted us to come so he and Sango wouldn?t be the only ones there. They don?t really know anyone else. You got anything nice to wear?? I thought it over, and nodded. ?What about you? Don?t you girls usually need some fancy dress??  
  
She smiled. ?Yes, we do. That?s why I already have one. It?s simple, little, and black!?  
  
I smirked, imagining her in the ?little black number? she mentioned. I was anxious to see her in it.  
  
The next night came, and I was in my apartment getting ready, fiddling with a tie. I stood in front of my mirror probably making all sorts of faces, struggling to get the damn thing on. I had chosen a deep red dress shirt and black slacks; I wasn?t going any more formal than that. All those years wearing suits at home, and I still couldn?t tie a tie.  
  
Jeik sat beside me, curious, and he also seemed to be a little worried about my occasional murmurs and curses. His head was tipped to the side, and he stared at my reflection cutely, his keen jade eyes taking in every move I made.  
  
I was muttering curses again when I heard a soft rustling of fabric, and Jeik yipped, scaring the bijeesus out of me. I jumped, and heard a soft snickering behind me. Looking up at the mirror I saw April standing in the doorway behind me. She had her hair down, but I couldn?t see the rest of her.  
  
?Hey,? she said.  
  
I smiled at her, and turned around, still fiddling with the damn tie. When I got a good look at that little dress she?d been talking about, I think I froze up for a few minutes, and forgot about my tie completely. She looked hot.  
  
She smiled modestly, blushing at the look on my face. ?Here, d-do you need help?? she asked, moving to me to take the tie ends out of my hands.  
  
I nodded as she turned me around to face the mirror, and stood on the tip of her toes behind me, to reach around and knot the tie. She got it on one try, leaving my ego a little frazzled, but it wasn?t anything too damaging. ?Where?d you learn to do that?? I asked her.  
  
She rested her chin on my shoulder and stared at my reflection in the mirror with a smile, her arms still around my neck. ?My dad taught me. When I was around eight. I wanted to know how to tie a tie, and he was always getting ready for those business meetings of his, so he tried to teach me whenever he could. It?s just one of those life skills, you know??  
  
I nodded, and cleared my throat nervously. ?Y-you look great.?  
  
?Thanks.? She joked. ?I try.?  
  
I smiled, and turned around so I could pull her into my arms and kiss her.  
  
After a few moments, she pulled away hastily, smiling. ?We?re gonna be late, baka!?  
  
?Hey!? I teased. ?Who you calling a baka??  
  
?You!? she replied, sticking her tongue out childishly. She ran from the room then, myself on her heels. I caught her near the kitchen counter, around the waist. She giggled and tried to struggle free, and I made sure to keep a loose hold on her, so I wouldn?t bring back any ?memories.? Her long curtain of hair swished, making me think of a shampoo model. I leaned forward to sniff her hair; she smelled good.  
  
?What you sniffing, Dog Demon?? she asked me teasingly.  
  
I just played along. ?My mate!? I growled.  
  
She laughed heartily at that reply, blushing, and turned around to slip her arms around my waist.  
  
I knew if we kept this up, we would never leave the building, which was alright with me, but Miroku and Sango were counting on us.  
  
I pried her hands loose from my waist and got my ?mate? out door and into my truck.  
  
The Banquet went nicely. Though, it was ten dollars a person to get in the door, the pay was worth it. The food was good, and we had a nice time with Sango and Miroku.  
  
But the whole time, I just couldn?t keep my eyes off of April in that dress, so I suggested we go home after.  
  
?I don?t wanna go home yet!? she made a face. ?Let?s go drinking, or something! Sango, Miroku, you guys want to come??  
  
Sango declined for them both, even though Miroku looked up to it. ?We drank last night.? She shot a look at her husband, who pouted.  
  
He argued. ?But Sango, it wouldn?t hurt-?  
  
?No, I had enough of a time getting you out of bed this morning, and besides, we?re running low on aspirins. Maybe some other time, you guys.?  
  
Smirking at the couple, April and I nodded. While we were walking to a club she suggested, she said, ?Sango and Miroku are a cute couple.?  
  
?Hai,? I agreed. ?She keeps him in line.?  
  
April giggled. ?And he looked so crestfallen when she said no!?  
  
?That?s Miroku for you.?  
  
?They make marriage look so easy,? she commented. ?It?s funny, because my parents never seemed to be able to be so casual.?  
  
I thought about that. ?It?s stressful when you have three kids.?  
  
Her eyebrows furrowed, and she nodded. ?Do you think Sango and Miroku will ever have kids??  
  
I smiled, imagining Miroku chasing a toddler around the house with another newborn on his hip. The dog would be barking, Sango would be trying to get her rest for work, and the phone would be ringing - but I had confidence in Miroku. He was always able to make the best out of a situation. ?Yeah, I could see them having kids.?  
  
?I just want one,? April said. ?Someday. A boy.?  
  
At that point, I just nodded in agreement. Kids would be cool. I loved Rin, she was cute and fun to play with. But the reality of it all. . . from far away, people made it look fun, magical, and easy - but I had heard my share of stories and saw plenty of screaming kids in the grocery store. Needless to say, I was still skeptical.  
  
The discussion dropped as we turned into the club and found a table. I got us drinks, and the rest of the night was fun, but relaxed. We dance, we talked, and April was always able to make me laugh. She could do the most childish thing - like sticking out her tongue - without looking immature at all. I realized that night what a special girl I had - as well as the jealous stares from other men. Made me feel kind of satisfied, actually.  
  
April moaned as we stumbled into her apartment later that night, drunk and ready for bed. . . not that we were tired. I ran thankful fingers through her hair that she had left down, and registered how soft it felt. Attached to one another at the lips, we made it into bed falling together onto the mattress, laughing.  
  
I hovered over her, trailing kisses down her neck, tasting her, loving her, until she stopped moving. . . I looked up, and saw that she had fallen asleep. . . or possibly passed out. I just smiled and climbed up next to her, pulling her into my arms.  
  
The next day was Monday. We walked to the diner together that morning, and it was unusually silent, due to April?s hangover.  
  
?Do you need an aspirin?? I asked her quietly.  
  
She tried a smile and shook her head. ?I?m sorry I fell asleep last night.?  
  
I was surprised. ?Er, uh, you don?t have to apologize for that.?  
  
She laughed, a little embarrassed. ?I just. . . I know how guys. . . you weren?t ready to stop. . .?  
  
My eyes widened. ?Really, it?s okay!?  
  
?Heh,? she laughed weakly as we entered the diner. I sat in the corner booth and watched the morning crowd arrive, with a cup of coffee. April tiredly began her daily work, and I watched sympathetically, wishing I could help her. Some loud customers entered, and I could see her forced cheerfulness slowly fading into a frown. As I was getting ready to leave for work early, I took notice in the customer that entered next.  
  
?Hetan,? I muttered through gritted teeth. I still wanted to clobber the guy.  
  
April was coming out of the kitchen with two trays in each hand, still looking worse for wear. She looked up to see who the new customer was, and stopped short, dropping both trays when she saw him. I had stopped moving at her reaction, and just watched in silence as the next moments played out.  
  
April stood very still, just staring at Hetan. The diner was very quiet - the clatter of the trays had gotten everyone?s attention.  
  
And then, the dirty bastard smirked. ?April. Long time no see.?  
  
Her breathing quickened. ?You-?she turned away from him, panicking,?-get away from me! Get away!?  
  
She moved for the kitchen, and he followed her. ?So, this is what happened to you after your restaurant shut down.?  
  
?Get out! Go away!?  
  
She was crying, hyperventilating, and at that moment, my mind snapped, putting two and two together. It was Hetan. Hetan raped April.  
  
At that moment of realization, all of my anger towards him and his sick ways surfaced, and I stalked over to him, balled my fist, and busted his fuckin? nose. It felt damn good.  
  
?What the fuck?!? He screamed, holding his nose, swaggering precariously.  
  
?You raped her!? I screamed, lunging at him again. Someone held me back this time. I think it was Mike.  
  
Time slowed. Hetan was smirking at me through the blood that ran out of his nose and over his mouth. Mike held me back; I was still trying to get at the bastard, screaming anything. I couldn?t think, I couldn?t feel. All I wanted was justice. All I could see in my mind was his filthy hands all over her. . . that smirk of his as tears ran down her beautiful face. . . at that moment, if I?d been allowed, I?d have killed the bastard.  
  
Time sped up again. ?InuYasha!!!? It was April. Her voice hit me as if it had been thrown at me. I stopped struggling, and just stared. Snarling, I shook Mike off, and walked away from Hetan.  
  
April was backed up against the wall, like a scared child. Her hands covered her face, but I didn?t have to see it to know she was crying.  
  
?April. . .?  
  
She flinched.  
  
I reached out to her, but she recoiled even further. ?Get away! Don?t look at me!?  
  
I didn?t know what to do. I didn?t know what to do. I was at a complete loss. I was watching this girl I had come to love so much, this girl that was so full of life, and energy, good humor, and kindness, crumble and fall apart. She was falling apart and I couldn?t hold her together.  
  
Mike tried. She didn?t want him, either. Hell, I would have been all right with that. At least she would have wanted someone. But then it occurred to me: we were men. Men were the threat, here.  
  
I looked behind me. Hetan was still there, still watching, with that damn smirk on his face. I stalked toward him. ?Get out!!! Get out of here, you sick bastard!!?  
  
I think I threw a tray at him.  
  
Whatever I did, he left, but not before yelling something incoherent out to April. I heard her sob from the corner, and chased Hetan out into the street. As he ran, he kept looking back at me.  
  
And the rest happened in no less than five seconds.  
  
A van hit Hetan.  
  
It was weird; I?d never actually seen someone get hit by a car before, and it?s not something they show on T.V. . . His body was just. . . catapulted, like a rag doll. He flipped, and landed on top of another car. I had just barely processed exactly what had happened, when another car stopped short of hitting me. But this girl hit her breaks in time.  
  
I stood there, just staring at Hetan?s bleeding, twisted body. He had shattered the glass of the car he?d landed on; he looked broken everywhere.  
  
I can?t say I was happy about it; death isn?t something that brings happiness to anyone. I felt like I had gotten closure. His acts had been justified.  
  
Numb, I had turned away from the accident. It replayed over and over in my head; it was disturbing. I don?t think it?s something I?ll ever really get over seeing, but then, that?s life.  
  
I went back to the only person in my life that mattered at the moment. Someone had gotten her into the kitchen, in the back. A police woman was there already, talking to her, consoling her.  
  
She turned on me when I approached.  
  
?Can you tell me what just happened here?? she asked, kindness gone, replaced with a look that said ?I don?t take crap from anybody.?  
  
I just nodded and launched into the story.  
  
A lot is required when something big like that happens. I was at the police station for hours, just telling people what had happened. I didn?t know why they just couldn?t send out a memo. They?d almost thought about pulling me in deeper when they found out I?d been chasing Hetan, but changed their minds when they realized I?d been doing it out of blind anger.  
  
One cop snorted a laugh. ?Bastard got what he deserved, eh??  
  
I just nodded.  
  
When I finally got home, I immediately went to April. Or, thought I had. Someone had scribbled out a note for me and left it taped to her door.  
  
?InuYasha - April has gone to stay with June. Ringo is with her. Expect her call.?  
  
I just stared at the note. I felt. . . hurt.  
  
How important was I to her? Why didn?t she want me? All I wanted to do was be there for her, but she clearly didn?t want me around.  
  
I reached for her doorknob; it wasn?t locked. The door swung open easily. I stepped inside and turned the light on. It was empty. Everything was gone, except for the bigger items, the things you ignore when you pack quickly.  
  
I looked over to the kitchen table. On it?s surface sat the little white, twisted shell that I?d found and given to her that day at the beach. I went over and picked it up, studying it?s colors of orange, green and violet.  
  
I put it in my pocket and left the apartment.  
  
An hour later, April called.  
  
?Hey.?  
  
?Hey. How are you? Are you okay? Why. . . why?d you leave??  
  
She sighed, and I could hear tears in her voice. ?I?m sorry. I can?t stay there anymore, InuYasha. Not with him around.?  
  
?April. . . Hetan?s dead. Didn?t you know??  
  
?Yes. I know.?  
  
?But - he?s gone, now. You don?t have to leave, you can stay-?  
  
?InuYasha. Seeing him again today brought back too many memories. I just. . . I need to be with my family right now. I?m sorry.?  
  
?But what about me?? My voice was rising. ?Aren?t I family?!?  
  
?You?re. . . you?re incredible. . .?  
  
I squeezed my eyes shut. ?Then come back.?  
  
She hung up. That was a no.  
  
My heart was breaking. I hadn?t even felt this bad over Kagome. And I should have known. I should have known not to fall in love again. She was gone, now, and it didn?t seem like she was ever coming back.  
  
But what had she meant, she couldn?t stay there ?with him around?? With his memory around, perhaps?  
  
Man, he?d really messed with her. He?d really screwed her up. And in that second, I was happy the bastard was dead.  
  
I threw the phone. It hit the wall, and marked it. Jeik whimpered, and cowered off somewhere, and I immediately felt bad.  
  
I went in my room and sat on the edge of my bed, angry, thinking. I sat there for a good long time. When the time came around when Jeik and I usually picked April up from work, he approached me, and whimpered.  
  
He spoke to me with his jade green eyes. ?We have to go get April.?  
  
?No, not tonight, buddy.?  
  
He whimpered. ?But why??  
  
?April?s gone, buddy. She?s gone and she?s never coming back.?  
  
He whined, the sound twisting my chest. ?I don?t understand.?  
  
?I don?t understand either.?  
  
And I cried. 


	12. Happiness Found

**Chapter 12**

**Happiness Found **

I didn't go to work the next day. Or the next.

Don't ask me what I was waiting for. For her to just show up, I guess. For her to come barging through my door, exclaiming something or other. But she never did.

She was gone.

I missed her.

// Hello there. . . the angel from my nightmare

The shadow in the background of the morgue

The unsuspecting victim. . . Of darkness in the valley

We can live like Jack and Sally, if we want

Where you can always find me

And we'll have Halloween on Christmas

And in the night we'll wish this never ends

We'll wish this never ends //

I just lay on my back, staring at the ceiling. . . wondering. . .

// I miss you, I miss you //

And everything was so quiet. Jeik made a little noise every now and then, but I usually had April to listen to. I marveled for a while at how I never grew tired of the things she had to say. She could talk about the most mundane subjects, but still, I listened. . .

Now I know what those songs mean when they say the silence is too loud.

// I miss you, I miss you. . .

Where are you?

And I'm so sorry

I cannot sleep, I cannot dream tonight

I need somebody and always

This 6 string's darkness

Comes creeping on so haunting every time

And as I stared I counted

The webs from all the spiders

Catching things and eating their insides

Like indecision to call you

And hear your voice of treason

Will you come home and stop this pain tonight?

Stop this pain tonight

Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you)

Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you) //

I think I fell asleep, one time. Almost.

And I dreamed about her. Maybe it was a daydream.

It was so pathetic, but I didn't know what else to do. Who was I without her?

April made me. She made me a better person. She made me someone to talk to, she made me someone who wasn't afraid of anything anymore. . .

And she brought more emotions out of me than anyone in my life ever had.

I thought about moving on; that was and would remain a dream. How could I move on from April? She was my last stop before I reached Happiness. She was everything I needed to have a complete existence.

I couldn't tell myself she wasn't coming back.

And I hated her then. I hated her for taking it all away from me. After going through so much and working so hard. . .

But then I remembered: she'd been through a lot more, worked a lot harder.

How could I forget?

So what had I done to her to deserve this? All I'd ever done was be there for her. Even if she wouldn't let me. So was this punishment of some kind?

Why didn't she think I could help her?

I loved her.

// Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you)

Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you)

Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you)

Don't waste your time on me, you're already the voice inside my head

(I miss you, I miss you)

I miss you, I miss you

I miss you, I miss you. . . //

"I Miss You," by Blink182

Jeik whimpered. It was two o' clock in the evening, and I was still in bed. I hadn't walked him, or fed him.

April would kill me for neglecting him.

I just didn't want to move. I didn't want to go outside and face reality. I wanted to stay inside and dream. . .

Finally, I felt something tugging the sheets off of me.

I glanced down trough scratchy eyes to see a growling Jeik, the sheets clenched in his jaws. He was yanking the sheets off of me almost violently, for such a little creature. When he saw me looking, he stopped and I swear to you: that pup glared at me.

He glared at me, and barked sharply.

It was enough to get me to sit up, anyway.

I sat there, my feet touching the cold floor, and stared at him. He kept glaring. His eyes were telling me, "Get up, you pathetic heartsick loser."

I stared at him for a moment, and before I knew what was happening, he lunged forward and tugged at the cuff of my pants. He growled and whined.

"All right, all right!" I exclaimed. "I'll get up, don't have a cow!"

I stood, then bent over to pick him up. He whined, and licked my face, barking.

"I know, buddy," I said to him, scratching him behind his ear. "I'm sorry. Are you hungry?"

He replied with a noise in his throat.

"All right." I poured him a bowl of his food, and while he ate, I decided to get dressed.

I took him for a walk. It was a really somber walk. Everyone outside seemed so happy. . .

When I got back, there was a message on my machine. It was my mom.

"'InuYasha. . . I need you to come home. . . I-I do have a problem. . . Please come home. . .'"

There was the sound of the phone dropping, and then there was a beep as a signal that the message was over.

I stared at the phone. "No. . ."

I ran around my apartment, packing quicker than I ever have in my life. What was happening? When did the world go nuts??

Jeik and I loaded up the car, and left for home.

I couldn't stand not knowing what was going on. I was trying to remember what she was talking about when she said, "I do have a problem." So much had happened in the past week, it was hard to remember my last visit home.

And then it hit me. The pills. She was addicted to those stupid anti-depressants.

The drive seemed to take forever, but I got home. Miyouga answered the door. "We took her to the hospital. I stayed behind to take you there."

"The hospital?! Wha-?!"

Miyouga grabbed my suitcase from my hand and threw it into the foyer. He took Jeik and handed him to Jess, the cook, who was waiting with him. "Take care of the pup." Miyouga then grabbed my arm and pulled me out to his car.

We drove out to the hospital, and when we got there, I was about to go crazy from worry. Miyouga told me everything on the way there. Mom had overdosed when she'd called. They were pumping her stomach as we spoke.

The halls of the hospital were freezing, despite the fall weather. I just walked. We seemed to walk forever, and took an elevator to the fifth floor.

We finally reached a desk, and asked for Mom's room number. They had her back already, and she was recovering.

I wanted to run to her room. I was so worried, so scared. I just wanted to be there for her.

But I had to settle for walking, and it seemed to take forever to get there.

She was laying in the hospital bed, pale and sleeping. Her wrist was hooked up to an IV, and I had never seen her look that way. She looked absolutely terrible. I wanted to cry.

A nurse came in, and brushed past my still form.

"She'll be fine," she said abruptly. "The surgery was a success. She should be out of here within a week. Her overdose was accidental."

I just gaped at the nurse as she checked Mom's IV and blood pressure. She left the room when she was done.

I shook my head a little and gazed at Miyouga, who was looking truly relieved.

I was relieved, myself. She was going to be fine. 'Thank you, thank you, thank you. . .'

Two days later, Mom was awake and talking. She was smiling, too.

"Don't you EVER do that to me again!!!" I had scolded her when she awoke. I had thrown my arms around her and hadn't wanted to let go. Miyouga had to pry me off of her.

"InuYasha, will you get me out of here?" Mom asked stubbornly. "I feel fine. I want to go home."

"Not yet," I told her.

"And you know what this means, Cassandra-sama?" Miyouga asked.

"Hm?"

"No more medication. You must learn to be happy on your own."

I think Mom took that advice to heart. I had a feeling things were going to be different with her.

We got Mom home the next Saturday. She was smiling and talking, though she still looked a little pale. The servants greeted her with tearful hugs.

I had forgotten about April for a little while, at least.

But now that Mom was home and well, I had nothing else to worry about but the girl I loved.

Jeik greeted me with his usual happy little yip. He didn't like my going away to the hospital everyday, but he was used to my leaving for work. He was getting fat at the mansion, too. I would have to walk him twice a day for a little while to get that off of him.

I went online the night before I left.

Pay attention to this next part. Something extraordinary happened on this night, that I'll never forget. I'll get to it in a minute, though.

Professor Clark still had my screen name, and said hello when I signed on. I told him why I was home, and what had happened to my mom. He told me that would be good writing material, and gave his sympathies. Then, he asked, "'What is your mother's name?'"

"Cassandra."

His reaction to her name told me immediately that Fate and Coincidence were both up to something. Turns out that my professor was my mother's Jonathan.

When I got back to the apartment, May and Kouga were at April's old door. They turned to me with smiles as I approached them, but I didn't smile back. "She's not there," I told them.

May's smile faded. "When will she be back?"

"She's not coming back," I replied, unlocking my door. "Come in, guys."

"I can't believe it. . . A van hit him? He. . . He's dead?"

"Bastard got what he deserved."

"Kouga!!!"

"What?! He did!!! It's karma!!!"

May sighed. "I guess you're right." She turned to me. "I can understand why she left, InuYasha. Her memories of him are very painful. Seeing him again must have. . . really shattered her world."

"Have you talked to her?" Kouga asked.

"Yeah. . . She's. . . she's holding up okay, I guess. . ."

(i can't stay there anymore inuyasha, not with him around)

". . . she's staying with June."

May gazed at me, almost reproachfully. "Do you love her?"

I blinked. "I. . . Yes."

"Then you should have gone to see her when you found out she left. You should go do that, now. In fact, we should all go to see her." She stood and headed for the door. "Come on."

May knocked confidently on June's door. June lived in a nice little white apartment building, more on the skirts of the city.

But that wasn't what was concerning me.

I was so nervous, I was shaking, my hands, my legs. . . What would April do when she saw me? What was going to happen?

The door opened, and June appeared in the door way. She smiled when she saw us, but the expression seemed a little forced. "Hey, guys. Come in."

We walked in. I could hear water running in the kitchen, and noises of food being prepared. It was April, cooking.

"April!!!" June called. "We have visitors!!!"

June hugged all of us. I must have looked really bad, because she put a calming hand on my arm. I gave her a faltering smile.

April appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. She had a tiny smile on her face. When she saw me, she looked away.

She came in the room to receive hugs from May and Kouga. When she didn't move to touch me, I shoved my hands in my pockets and frowned.

'Maybe I shouldn't have come here. She doesn't want me here. I should just leave.'

They were all talking about something, but I wasn't paying attention. April had lost her glow. She looked tired, and. . . normal.

"InuYasha. . . ?"

I looked up. April was looking at me with large green eyes. I swallowed. "Yeah?"

She grabbed my hand. "Let's go outside."

I looked at our joined hands, and then at her. ". . ."

She tugged me outside, and down the steps to the street.

"Where are we going?" I asked her, watching her ponytail swing back and forth as she walked ahead of me.

"Somewhere we can talk."

"How are you holding up - "

"Shh."

She led me to a park. It took fifteen minutes of walking. We found a bench, but April didn't sit down. Instead, she turned to me and threw her arms around my neck.

I blinked.

She sniffled, burying her face into my chest. Neither of us said a word. There was just the sound of her soft crying. I wrapped my arms around her waist and closed my eyes. She felt so good. . . I wondered if I was daydreaming again.

"I wanted you to come," she said after the silence. "I've really needed you."

"Baka!" I whispered, hugging her closer to me. "You should have told me!"

"I. . .I know. . ."

"I love you," I told her. "I love you, April."

"I know. I love you, too."

"Will you come back, now? So we can just be normal again? This wasn't supposed to happen to us. Why can't we just forget about all of this?"

April was quiet. "Okay. I'll come back. On one condition."

"What?"

"Move in with me."

I smiled a little. "No problem. I kind of already have."

She chuckled.

We decided to have a party for Professor Clark when he arrived to Tokyo.

While we were at the airport, my mother seemed like she was going to pass out from nerves, so she leaned on me. "Oh, InuYasha, I can't hold myself up!"

I grasped her shoulders and had her sit down. April was with us; she sat down by my mother and I offered to get them some drinks.

Later, April told me the conversation she had with my mother while I was away.

"He's a good boy," said Cassandra, looking after InuYasha as he walked away.

"He's my best friend," April said.

Cassandra looked to April and patted her arm. "You're good, too, April."

April smiled. "How are you holding up?"

Cassandra sighed. "I'm feeling older than ever at the moment. It's been so long. It's been decades."

"InuYasha told me about you and Jonathan. And I remember telling him, 'if he's her true love, they will end up together somehow.' It's actually happened!"

Cassandra chuckled. "I know. It feels surreal."

April's face fell. "Wait. . . What if you've both changed? How are you sure you're still–"

InuYasha's mother laughed, a hearty, amused sound. "April, you worry too much!" She looked April in the eye and told her, "Time cannot come between two people when they are meant to be together."

And my mom had been right. It was as if not one day had gone by since she and Jonathan had last been together. Sure they'd both aged a bit, but they still had the same desire. It sort of gave me hope.

Looking at my father's relationship with Sesshoumaru's mother, and my mother's relationship with Jonathan Clark, I had to tell April that I had changed my mind about love. True love does exist. My parents proved it to their lovers, and I swore that I would spend the rest of my life proving it to April and myself.

THE END

Phew! Done! I can hardly believe it, it's been so long since I've tackled this fic! But I'm proud of the way it ended, and I think everyone found what they were looking for. That's the way life should be. Good luck to you all, and may you live life and never have to wish for anything more than what you already have.

C Ya Later,

HoneyBee


End file.
